(B) The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri, 2004) Grade: A-
My first introduction to Jhumpa Lahiri was her debut collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, which won her the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. I went on to read her second collection, Unaccustomed Earth, released last year, but had not tackled her first novel until now. Adapted for a film starring Kal Penn, The Namesake is just as effective as her shorter narratives, all of which tend to focus on the immigrant experience. Namesake follows Ashoke and Ashimi, two Indians who move from Calcutta to Cambridge. The novel details their struggles to adapt to American culture and to raise their two children with some knowledge of their heritage. The movie stays pretty faithful to the book, but elements of the story aren't as fleshed out, so you don't get the relevance of some things as much. Still, both are recommended.