- Paperback: 291 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial; First Edition First Printing edition (5 July 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007196075
- ISBN-13: 978-0007196074
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,271,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
Praise for Interpreter of Maladies:
‘Lahiri is a writer of uncommon elegance and poise, and with Interpreter of Maladies she has made a precocious debut.’ New York Times
‘After reading three of these stories, I found myself rationing the remaining six, to try to make the book last longer. A lovely collection.’ Scotsman
‘Strong, subtle… a debut to relish.’ Guardian
‘One of the finest short story writers I’ve read’ Amy Tan
‘The genius of Lahiri’s storytelling lies in her restrained drollery, her eye for details, and her tone of wise consolation.’ Harpers & Queen
‘Dazzling writing… Simply put, Lahiri displays a remarkable maturity and ability to imagine other lives.’ USA Today
‘Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake is a patient, quiet novel about identity. As with her short story collection, the prose is lyrical and rich with details that bring to life characters torn between old world traditions and assimilation. Though it doesn't really break any new ground, the writing is so precise and the characters (particularly Gogol) so well-defined, that one doesn't mind and takes The Namesake for what it is: an engrossing tale told by a uniquely talented author. ‘ Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner
Independent
'Nair catches the reflective, intimate tone of Lahiri's writing.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
ON A STICKY AUGUST EVENING two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen of a Central Square apartment, combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in bowl. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
ON A STICKY AUGUST EVENING two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen of a Central Square apartment, combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in bowl. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Namesake is Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel although it is her second book. Her first was the Interpreter of Maladies, a well received short story collection that won several awards. The Namesake follows the Ganguli family, the Bengali immigrants Ashima and Ashoke and their American-born children, over a period of 30 years. The main focus of the book is on their son, Gogol, born in 1968. Instead of being named by an elderly relative in India, a series of events unfold leading to him being named after his father's favourite author, the Russian Nikolai Gogol. This is the namesake of the title.
We follow Gogol throughout the first three decades of his life through his ups and downs, his childhood, his education, his relationships, his career and, most of all, his various identity crises. From an early age he belives that he doesn't really fit in, he feels that he alone in the entire world has Gogol as a first name. Also he embraces the American way of life, unlike his parents who try to keep to their traditional Indian way and this too causes him strife. Before going to college he invents a new identity for himself and changes his name to Nikhil, which is both suitably Indian but can be shortened to the more American Nick. Over time both he and his parents adjust their ways of thinking. His parents grow to enjoy American customs such as Christmas and the benefits of American life, while Nikhil embraces his Indian heritage.
The structure of the book seems to hark back to Interpreter of Maladies, it is written in almost a short story style, with different chapters being told from several different character perspectives. Fortunately this is tied together with consistent themes and a mainly constant cast of characters. However, frustratingly, a lot of potential action is lost in between different chapters; relationships end in a blink of an eye and characters disappear never to be mentioned again. Despite this the book draws you along with the depth of its characterisation of both the major and peripheral characters. Jhumpa Lahiri has a passion for her subject and this shows in her writing. She makes you care and feel for Gogol and his family. The book is at once, warm and profound, comforting and deep. Her insight into both cultures, American and Indian coupled with well written prose makes this book both an education as well as a pleasure to read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is one of my favorites. The characters are deeply moving and you remember them long after you've finished the novel. The author creates a beautiful story, she understands the immigrant experience, the different perceptions of parents and children. I finished reading it in a couple days and was tempted to start over and read it all over again.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed The Namesake, just as much as I enjoyed Interpreter of Maladies. 'The Namesake' is a very entertaining novel that sheds light on the experiences of first generation Americans, whose parents are immigrants. It is one of the very few novels that have dealt with this subject and it certainly came out at its best in doing so.
It has got all the ingredients of conflict in a person's soul, conflict in a family and conflict in a community trying to stick together in another land. In this novel, the conflict in culture between Eastern vs. Western, The Old World vs. The New World, Father vs. Son is brilliant exposed. I could easily relate to the story as someone who is caught in the same situation himself. I was certainly disappointed by certain parts of the story, but on the whole it was marvelous. I was impressed by the positive reaction to it.
The characters who remind me of some I read in BRICKLANE, USURPER AND OTHERS, and another story whose title i can't remember, are marvelously depicted and made to interact with so much fluidity, tenderness and love. The setting involving India and the USA is genuine. Brilliantly told, Namesake vividly brought out a clash of two cultures and of a boy realizing his father's life. In the end, we come to understand the enormous prize immigrants pay as they abandon their ethnic or national identities in their quests to be accepted in their new countries.
It has got all the ingredients of conflict in a person's soul, conflict in a family and conflict in a community trying to stick together in another land. In this novel, the conflict in culture between Eastern vs. Western, The Old World vs. The New World, Father vs. Son is brilliant exposed. I could easily relate to the story as someone who is caught in the same situation himself. I was certainly disappointed by certain parts of the story, but on the whole it was marvelous. I was impressed by the positive reaction to it.
The characters who remind me of some I read in BRICKLANE, USURPER AND OTHERS, and another story whose title i can't remember, are marvelously depicted and made to interact with so much fluidity, tenderness and love. The setting involving India and the USA is genuine. Brilliantly told, Namesake vividly brought out a clash of two cultures and of a boy realizing his father's life. In the end, we come to understand the enormous prize immigrants pay as they abandon their ethnic or national identities in their quests to be accepted in their new countries.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Bit Of A Googly
A bit of a googly because I found it rather deceptive this book. It appears to be a well written, neatly structured story of a man's life from birth to, well, mediocrity and... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Woolco
I sympathised with the mother uprooted from her country
Calm and lucid look at what it is like for an Indian couple, newly in an arranged marriage, to transplant themselves from India to America, away from their families, and the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mercury
being a foreigner...
`Being a foreigner is a sort of perpetual pregnancy', so discovers Ashima, a young Bengali woman who moves to the States in the 1960s - where her days consist of `a perpetual... Read more
Published 3 months ago by murmuration
The Namesake
The book was at my door from the post office only a few days after it was mailed. As I recall it was about 3-4 days which is very quick to me. Read more
Published 5 months ago by ester90
The Namesake
An interesting insight into the problems of the Indian diaspora. More character development would have been welcome. I shall be interested to see how the film turns out.
Published 9 months ago by Rasputin
Brilliant book discussion!
Well, in spite of the fact that I found this novel a bit slow, a bit uninspiring, it certainly produced a fascinating discussion from our book group. Read more
Published 11 months ago by DubaiReader
Gogol's name put me off too! Until I understood...
I ordered 'The Namesake' after greatly appreciating Unaccustomed Earth which had me reaching for a notebook to capture forever some wonderful quotes from it. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. Katharine Kirby
Eloquent and universal
An impressively flowing narrative delicately unrolls its story eloquently and without fuss. The words speak clearly and, while impressively flavoured with Indian and American... Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2010 by Bruce Marsland
Insight into integrationof first generation children
This follows the life of a young boy born to Indian parents who have moved to teh US. His journey is one of trying to fit in in his local culture without losing the Indian culture... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2008 by J. Southern
a predictable theme
Okay, I've read all 3 of Jhumpa Lahiri's books and am starting to detect a distinct theme!
Bengali family hailing from Calcutta move to the east coast of the USA. Read more
Bengali family hailing from Calcutta move to the east coast of the USA. Read more
Published on 1 July 2008 by 101
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