The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri
Often, halfway through a book, I wondered if that sway of a story gets lost over the years; much like relationship chemistry. Books are supposed to pull you into its sway, making you undulate to its rhythm. But books like The Lowland (Jhumpa Lahiri) convince me that, much like people, books too evoke different reactions. With some people you perpetually have chemistry; with some, you have it sometimes and with some others, you never have it . Also with books. Some are easy to read and make you feel bereft once you are done with the book. Others
While I was never a big fan of Interpreter of Maladies, I found The Namesake very lyrical. The language conveys a sense of the time that passes in her stories, gently, while creating a vivid trail in its wake. This book is also expansive, lyrical and spans several decades.
I found many parallels in The Namesake and The Lowland. Of course besides the setting in Calcutta. It’s set in a similar time frame. Lots of lines devoted to how bonds are formed after marriages. So many roles that come from just expectation alone, especially in the case of the women here. Mothers and daughters; mothers in law and daughters in law. I am beginning to see how my experiences shape what I read too. Resentment of traditional roles. Decision to not follow those roles. The constant social justification that needs to be given. All of these are just points in an otherwise sprawling story. But it affects the way I process and remember the story.
For me, a good book of an author makes me want to read all the other books I haven’t read yet. So Unaccustomed Earth, here I come.
The Age of Aquarius 