The Namesake (Hardcover)

'Quietly dazzling... The Namesake is that rare thing: an intimate, closely observed family portrait that effortlessly and discreetly unfolds to disclose a capacious social vision... Jhumpa Lahiri has taken the haunting chamber music of her first collection of stories and reorchestrated its themes of exile and identity to create a symphonic work, a debut novel that is as assured and eloquent as the work of a longtime master of the craft.' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times 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

The Namesake is a tender, moving account of an immigrant Indian family's struggle to integrate with American life, while at the same time respecting the traditions of Bengali culture. Focusing primarily on the experiences of the American-born Gogol Ganguli, the novel consists of a series of key moments - minutely observed, delicately constructed episodes that force him to address questions of loyalty and belonging. Gogol's unusual name, symbolic of parental love, provides the over-arching theme that unites the novel; it is a source of embarrassment, confusion and ultimately pride. Lahiri's Pulitzer prize-winning skill as a short-story writer is recognisable in her ability to capture atmosphere and emotion concisely and often beautifully. With humour and sympathy, she creates characters who must confront their fears and inadequacies to have a chance of happiness, against a background of three decades of American and Indian life. This is a wonderful, entertaining story, brilliantly told. (Kirkus UK)

A first novel from Pulitzer-winner Lahiri (stories: Interpreter of Maladies, 1999) focuses on the divide between Indian immigrants and their Americanized children. The action takes place in and around Boston and New York between 1968 and 2000. As it begins, Ashoke Ganguli and his pregnant young wife Ashima are living in Cambridge while he does research at MIT. Their marriage was arranged in Calcutta: no problem. What is a problem is naming their son. Years before in India, a book by Gogol had saved Ashoke's life in a train wreck, so he wants to name the boy Gogol. The matter becomes contentious and is hashed out at tedious length. Gogol grows to hate his name, and at 18 the Beatles-loving Yale freshman changes it officially to Nikhil. His father is now a professor outside Boston; his parents socialize exclusively with other middle-class Bengalis. The outward-looking Gogol, however, mixes easily with non-Indian Americans like his first girlfriend Ruth, another Yalie. Though Lahiri writes with painstaking care, her dry synoptic style fails to capture the quirkiness of relationships. Many scenes cry out for dialogue that would enable her characters to cut loose from a buttoned-down world in which much is documented but little revealed. After an unspecified quarrel, Ruth exits. Gogol goes to work as an architect in New York and meets Maxine, a book editor who seems his perfect match. Then his father dies unexpectedly-the kind of death that fills in for lack of plot-and he breaks up with Maxine, who like Ruth departs after a reported altercation (nothing verbatim). Girlfriend number three is an ultrasophisticated Indian academic with as little interest in Bengali culture as Gogol; these kindred spirits marry, but the restless Moushumi proves unfaithful. The ending finds the namesake alone, about to read the Russian Gogol for the first time. A disappointingly bland follow-up to a stellar story collection. (Kirkus Reviews)

'Couched in poised and lucid prose, THE NAMESAKE is an exquisite tale, full of fine and fragile humour.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.