Re: [summer reading] Initial Impressions (contains potential spoilers regarding mainly part 1!)
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Sweta Agrawal
May 27, 2008, 7:51:32 PM5/27/08
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In the past day i've read almost all of lahiri's book, with maybe a fourth left. Here are some of my thoughts: (be warned, I have written a lot, I can sometimes be a bit verbose) (last paragraph contains a question for discussion, in case you don't want to read all of my email)
Before I proceed, perhaps I should mention how, coming from 1st generation Indian immigrant parents, I think I have a unique relationship to some of Lahiri's books. Many of her stories eerily parallel my life, down to details like the Nice biscuits, which I love and which are always in my family's cupboard as well. Pretty much every single story I've read of hers I can relate to in this fashion, and I even read Namesake only after watching my dad read it, who, as he read, would periodically burst into tears and from whom I have never seen so much emotion. I think that of these sorts of books, books with which I can relate so personally, I tend to be extra critical, or at least critical in a different way than when I read other, more removed books.
I had only ever read one of Lahiri's books before, The Namesake, which I did not care for, for much of the same reasons why I did not like the very first story in this compilation. I felt, as Sadia said, it was just another pretty immigrant story with the typical ups and downs, and it even shares a lot of the typical themes and motifs the Namesake had: Indian-American relationships, and a wedding that ends not because of some American's fault but because of the Indian (thus, meant to be shocking or revealing that even Indians can make the same mistakes). I felt that the Namesake and that Unaccustomed Earth were therefore not very interesting: its sort of a summary of my life, of many Indian-American lives, and Lahiri has simply put it down on paper. I feel that she was merely playing on the feeling of being an Indian American, without contributing anything new or revelatory to the experience, without shocking or touching me. Needless to say, I started regretting I had spent 20$ to buy this book.
However, the next several stories pleasantly surprised me, and I'm glad they did, because Lahiri does write beautifully at times. In these stories, she explored a lot of new themes and situations that I think everyone faces, whether you are an Indian American or not. But, of course, being Indian American does contribute something unique to each situation, the strange family ties that exist, the complaining parents with their notions of what is proper, of what is possible, of what can even be acknowledged. Lahiri shows how these tensions in the Indian American family can affect these situations and how people deal with them.
I enjoyed the last pages of Hell-Heaven, the account of the mother almost committing suicide, and the way that it was added only at the end of the story, long after the event had occurred. I thought it was quite symbolic of the way Indians, especially Indian mothers, often deal with their anguish, suffering it quietly and in the shadows, finally coming to a dramatic point which then dissipates because they are suddenly brought to the forefront where grief has no place.
I didn't think she was reaching too much in "only goodness"--once again, this story had a lot of personal resonance since i'm an older sister and have to put up with my crazy younger sister who has gotten away with so much that I was afraid to do in high school, and is a little bit of a wild child at times. The one thing I think didnt come through well enough was the sister's relationship to the brother when she would try to give him the perfect childhood she never had, and I guess the affection and jealousy and envy and rage that that can produce.It was however one of my favorites so far in subject matter, because I think its something which is rarely explored in Indian American stories, sibling relationships, typically it is about children and their parents.
"A Choice of Accomodations" I did not care much for, it just wasnt all that memorable to me.
"Nobody's business" was great, though this time being Indian-American didn't really play such a big part, for which I was grateful. I enjoyed that it was narrated from Paul's point of view, and I loved the secret crush from afar he had, and the tensions that developed. One thing, Lahiri can, at times, develop wonderful tension between her characters (note how many times i've used that word, but i'm too lazy to try and be more creative) much in the same way Wong Kar Wai so masterfully does. All of her stories are about relationships, between parent and child, lover and loved, brother and sister, or people and their pasts. I also love when she brings up academia or Boston/New York, two favorite settings for her and places that I love.
I also read "once in a lifetime" which I enjoyed as well, and I loved once again how it was narrated from the little girl's point of view, in a sort of letter to the boy. The subject of the story was not anything special, I liked the twist at the end, but mainly I just liked how the story was framed and narrated.
Thats about as far as I got. As you can see, reading Lahiri is rather nostalgic for me, and that is where her significance for me lies. I cannot think to read or enjoy her without that sense of personal connection, and so I wonder how others received her stories, especially those of you that do not come from parents that immigrated to the states. What strikes you most about her stories? What do you take away from them?
--Sweta
Before I proceed, perhaps I should mention how, coming from 1st generation Indian immigrant parents, I think I have a unique relationship to some of Lahiri's books. Many of her stories eerily parallel my life, down to details like the Nice biscuits, which I love and which are always in my family's cupboard as well. Pretty much every single story I've read of hers I can relate to in this fashion, and I even read Namesake only after watching my dad read it, who, as he read, would periodically burst into tears and from whom I have never seen so much emotion. I think that of these sorts of books, books with which I can relate so personally, I tend to be extra critical, or at least critical in a different way than when I read other, more removed books.
I had only ever read one of Lahiri's books before, The Namesake, which I did not care for, for much of the same reasons why I did not like the very first story in this compilation. I felt, as Sadia said, it was just another pretty immigrant story with the typical ups and downs, and it even shares a lot of the typical themes and motifs the Namesake had: Indian-American relationships, and a wedding that ends not because of some American's fault but because of the Indian (thus, meant to be shocking or revealing that even Indians can make the same mistakes). I felt that the Namesake and that Unaccustomed Earth were therefore not very interesting: its sort of a summary of my life, of many Indian-American lives, and Lahiri has simply put it down on paper. I feel that she was merely playing on the feeling of being an Indian American, without contributing anything new or revelatory to the experience, without shocking or touching me. Needless to say, I started regretting I had spent 20$ to buy this book.
However, the next several stories pleasantly surprised me, and I'm glad they did, because Lahiri does write beautifully at times. In these stories, she explored a lot of new themes and situations that I think everyone faces, whether you are an Indian American or not. But, of course, being Indian American does contribute something unique to each situation, the strange family ties that exist, the complaining parents with their notions of what is proper, of what is possible, of what can even be acknowledged. Lahiri shows how these tensions in the Indian American family can affect these situations and how people deal with them.
I enjoyed the last pages of Hell-Heaven, the account of the mother almost committing suicide, and the way that it was added only at the end of the story, long after the event had occurred. I thought it was quite symbolic of the way Indians, especially Indian mothers, often deal with their anguish, suffering it quietly and in the shadows, finally coming to a dramatic point which then dissipates because they are suddenly brought to the forefront where grief has no place.
I didn't think she was reaching too much in "only goodness"--once again, this story had a lot of personal resonance since i'm an older sister and have to put up with my crazy younger sister who has gotten away with so much that I was afraid to do in high school, and is a little bit of a wild child at times. The one thing I think didnt come through well enough was the sister's relationship to the brother when she would try to give him the perfect childhood she never had, and I guess the affection and jealousy and envy and rage that that can produce.It was however one of my favorites so far in subject matter, because I think its something which is rarely explored in Indian American stories, sibling relationships, typically it is about children and their parents.
"A Choice of Accomodations" I did not care much for, it just wasnt all that memorable to me.
"Nobody's business" was great, though this time being Indian-American didn't really play such a big part, for which I was grateful. I enjoyed that it was narrated from Paul's point of view, and I loved the secret crush from afar he had, and the tensions that developed. One thing, Lahiri can, at times, develop wonderful tension between her characters (note how many times i've used that word, but i'm too lazy to try and be more creative) much in the same way Wong Kar Wai so masterfully does. All of her stories are about relationships, between parent and child, lover and loved, brother and sister, or people and their pasts. I also love when she brings up academia or Boston/New York, two favorite settings for her and places that I love.
I also read "once in a lifetime" which I enjoyed as well, and I loved once again how it was narrated from the little girl's point of view, in a sort of letter to the boy. The subject of the story was not anything special, I liked the twist at the end, but mainly I just liked how the story was framed and narrated.
Thats about as far as I got. As you can see, reading Lahiri is rather nostalgic for me, and that is where her significance for me lies. I cannot think to read or enjoy her without that sense of personal connection, and so I wonder how others received her stories, especially those of you that do not come from parents that immigrated to the states. What strikes you most about her stories? What do you take away from them?
--Sweta
On Sun, May 25, 2008 at 12:44 AM, Leora Falk <leora...@gmail.com> wrote:
I was initially disappointed by Hell-Heaven.Reading it, I felt as though Lahiri had dropped her trademark subtlety. The pervading theme of the tensions between the old and new, were laid to bare and obvious: conveyed through her plot points rather than her turns in language.
But -- as i read walking home from the metro-- the final pages literally stopped me in my tracks. It was as if her tricks of displaying the tensions within one sentence had been drawn out to the whole story. The end made the lack of subtlety in the rest of the story justified, in that it allowed the reader to sit back, lured into a sense of false security. But I think that hte last pages or so of Hell-Heaven could, in a way, stand asa mini story in and of itself. It felt a bit as though she was writing to get to those pages, and I wish that she could have gone back and put the gentleness with which she writes even the most horrific into the more mundane lead-up to the end of that story.It's interesting that you thought that Only Goodness was out of her comfort zone, because although the topic was a little off of her standard fare, it seemed to me that she created a more consistent and compelling story there than she had in Hell-Heaven.Sadia, or anyone else, why'd you think she was out of her zone?Also, did anyone else get that nasty sense of de ja vu, having read a story or two here when they were originally published in The New Yorker?~LeoraOn Sat, May 24, 2008 at 11:34 PM, Sadia Latifi <sadia....@gmail.com> wrote:No, please go ahead - I've gotten through the first part and figure I'll finish the rest tonight. "Only Goodness" through me for sort of a loop. I liked the material, but I definitely felt like she was out of her comfort zone.
On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Leora Falk <leora...@gmail.com> wrote:Argh. Someone let me know when they have read further. I want to comment on the other stories -- specifically the package of the last three and Hell-Heaven, but I don't want to mess other people up.-Leora--
On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 3:14 AM, Sadia Latifi <sadia....@gmail.com> wrote:How come nobody is awake right now? This is irritating to me. I'm day-night reverse again.
I read the first story, "Unaccustomed Earth." Typical Lahiri storytelling. A tight, 50-page package with a pretty silk bow wrapped over it.
Maybe I'm projecting (read: I am), but I really want her to shake things up. I don't know how many more cute immigrant stories I can take. It could be the trajectory of my own life I'm yearning to read about, but enough with the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with every closing line. I would like to be shocked. That may be an unfair request of someone as delicate as Jhumpa, but we'll see. In all fairness- I guess she has the ability to do that, recalling specific plot twists in The Namesake, but I can't recall feeling the same emotional rollercoaster with her short stories the first time around.
S
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Leora Falk
617 335 3406 (cell)
leora...@gmail.com
Sweta Agrawal
May 28, 2008, 12:43:59 PM5/28/08
to summerb...@googlegroups.com
(I just finished reading the last 3 stories too, should anyone want to start discussing them.)
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