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Jibran's Reviews > The Namesake
The Namesake
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Book subtitle: I will write down everything I know about a certain family of Bengali immigrants in the United States by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Immigrant anguish - the toll it takes in settling in an alien country after having bidden adieu to one’s home, family, and culture is what this prize-winning novel is supposed to explore, but it's no more than a superficial complaint about a few signature – and done to death - South Asian issues relating to marriage and paternal expectations: a clichéd immigrant story, I'm afraid to say.
Gogol’s life, and that of every person related to him in any way, from the day of his birth to his divorce at 30, is documented in a long monotone, like a camera trained on a still scene, without zooming in and out, recording every movement the lens catches, accidentally. A final picture emerges in which nothing in particular stands out; and twists that could have been explored more deeply, on a philosophical and humanistic level, such as Gogol’s disillusionment with his dual identity or the aftermath of (Gogol’s father) Ashoke’s death are touched upon perfunctorily or rushed through.
Some cultural comparisons are made as though to validate the enlightened United States at the cost of backward India. This is a familiar line in immigrant success stories: to justify their decision to migrate to the West by heaping scorn on the country or culture of their origin.
But even that's not done intelligently. E.g; Maxine’s mother wears swimsuit on the lakeside; Gogol thinks his mother would never do that. Maxine’s parents don’t bother when Gogol moves into their house and have sex with Maxine; Gogol's parents would have been horrified! It is almost in these words the comparisons are made. Well, of course. We get it.
However, on the bright side, I liked the trope of public vs private names – Nikhil aka Gogol - and how Lahiri relates this private, accidental double-naming to the protagonist's larger identity crisis as an American of Indian background. But this is also wasted and in the end you are left with a lot of impatience welling up inside you.
February 2015
Immigrant anguish - the toll it takes in settling in an alien country after having bidden adieu to one’s home, family, and culture is what this prize-winning novel is supposed to explore, but it's no more than a superficial complaint about a few signature – and done to death - South Asian issues relating to marriage and paternal expectations: a clichéd immigrant story, I'm afraid to say.
Gogol’s life, and that of every person related to him in any way, from the day of his birth to his divorce at 30, is documented in a long monotone, like a camera trained on a still scene, without zooming in and out, recording every movement the lens catches, accidentally. A final picture emerges in which nothing in particular stands out; and twists that could have been explored more deeply, on a philosophical and humanistic level, such as Gogol’s disillusionment with his dual identity or the aftermath of (Gogol’s father) Ashoke’s death are touched upon perfunctorily or rushed through.
Some cultural comparisons are made as though to validate the enlightened United States at the cost of backward India. This is a familiar line in immigrant success stories: to justify their decision to migrate to the West by heaping scorn on the country or culture of their origin.
But even that's not done intelligently. E.g; Maxine’s mother wears swimsuit on the lakeside; Gogol thinks his mother would never do that. Maxine’s parents don’t bother when Gogol moves into their house and have sex with Maxine; Gogol's parents would have been horrified! It is almost in these words the comparisons are made. Well, of course. We get it.
However, on the bright side, I liked the trope of public vs private names – Nikhil aka Gogol - and how Lahiri relates this private, accidental double-naming to the protagonist's larger identity crisis as an American of Indian background. But this is also wasted and in the end you are left with a lot of impatience welling up inside you.
February 2015
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Reading Progress
January 9, 2015
– Shelved
January 11, 2015
–
Started Reading
January 11, 2015
–
7.22%
"Ashima, unable to resist a sudden and overwhelming urge, stepped into the shoes at her feet. Lingering sweat from the owner's feet mingled with hers, causing her heart to race; it was the closest thing she had ever experienced to the touch of a man."
page
21
January 12, 2015
–
24.05%
"So it's Gogol Ganguli's biography I'm reading. His birth, his first food, his first photo album, his first school, his first.....hmmm."
page
70
January 13, 2015
–
40.55%
"One-third gone, now if it doesn't get interesting I think I'm going to have a problem with this novel."
page
118
January 14, 2015
–
74.91%
"Ah well. It never took off. I'm now waiting to see how it ends."
page
218
January 17, 2015
–
Finished Reading
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Muhammad
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rated it 1 star
Jan 17, 2015 03:03AM
no man no .. review??
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Don't feel like writing one. But I will, perhaps later tonight :/
Oh no...this is truly bad news because I have Interpreter of Maladies waiting on my shelves to be read. Thanks for keeping my high expectations at bay Jibran, maybe the downfall won't be that severe...
Dolors wrote: "Oh no...this is truly bad news because I have Interpreter of Maladies waiting on my shelves to be read. Thanks for keeping my high expectations at bay Jibran, maybe the downfall won't b..."Those who have read Ms Lahiri's novels and Interpreter of Maladies say that she's a much better short story writer. I see sparks of talent in her writing but I think she just couldn't create a good story to tell in The Namesake. It might have to do with the looming deadline she speaks about in her interviews. You know, maybe she just rushed the whole thing?
I have not read her short stories but I certainly plan to, if only to regain something of the confidence in her that I lost with this novel. I hope you enjoy the short stories, Dolors.
You and me both, Jibran. You and me both.
Aubrey wrote: "You and me both, Jibran. You and me both."Just read your fantastic review of it. Glad I'm not the only one!
Lahiri's earlier works are really forgettable. However, I do think that she has finally come of age in The Lowland.
Thank you Samadrita, this goes in my TBR list.
Exactly what I thought but was not able to say as well.
MomToKippy wrote: "Exactly what I thought but was not able to say as well."Thanks for reading and finding a reflection of your thoughts in the review :)
Thanks for the warning, Jibran. Sounds dreadful.
Jibran wrote: Pulitzer? Are you kidding me?Well, I've it on William Gass' authority that Pulitzer is a byword for Mediocrity. So there you've it!
I see that I gave it 3 stars, maybe as a Bengali having more than half of her family settled abroad, the story resonated more with me. What I recall is that it was a realistic rendition of the Indian immigrant experience, but that she was never able to transcend that reality & give it a larger meaning. I heard better things about her latest book, The Lowlands, though.
@Glenn: Thanks for reading. I read it as part of a group and if I remember correctly no one rated it positively.@Mala: Sure, the story is realistic in so far as it explores the many issues new immigrants face vis-a-vis their identity and place in the new country, in our times. But as you point out, Lahiri couldn't make it anything more than the commonplace and sometimes it was so cliched I pulled my hair. Gogol's mother, for instance, despite her relative education, becomes no more than a clueless dehati woman in the states. you don't need to mint your culture anew to understand the new country, right? Anyway, it's nice to know you hail from the Bengal of Tagore! :)
As for Pulitzer, I agree with Gass, wholeheartedly . I'd add Booker to the list too, though to be fair Booker did bring up new fictions from a diverse pool of countries, even if it were restricted to British commonwealth, which is half the world anyway. But now American writers being admitted it won't be any different from the Pulitzer.
Hi, Jibran. I had a very different take on this book. I never wrote a review (so I don't remember the details), but I did give it four stars. I guess it moved me. Well--different viewpoints are what make Goodreads interesting.
Mona wrote: "Well--different viewpoints are what make Goodreads interesting. "It does indeed, Mona. Thanks for the comment :)
I think stories that attempt to portray lesser known experiences of a certain category of people tend to get positive reception for their novelty. And here perspective and background knowledge, as opposed to literary merit, play a considerable role in determining what is or is not taken up. I can cite many examples of this rather new trend in literature, the most well-known being Chinuha Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novels, and a host of novels from the Middle East and South Asia, some of whom explore diaspora. All these novels are primarily targeted to the Western audience, often written in Western language(s), so that the POVs that go into them feel somewhat affected to the native readers.
I think you're being too hard on Lahiri. That sense of a camera recording events...It could be the influence of the literary style she knew well during her formative years as a writer, a style shared by writers like Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolf, and Ann Beattie to name just three, a style marked by restraint and "scrupulous meanness" to quote Joyce. There's something else Lahiri shares with those writers. She writes about the normal lives of normal people (at least on the surface). Combine the technique with the subject matter and the reading experience is more likely to be a ride on the Ferris wheel rather than a ride on a roller coaster.
I really enjoyed this review, Jibran! I liked it enough to rate it higher, apparently (can't remember why), but only managed to squeeze out a one sentence review, containing the suspect word "nice".As for "Pulitzer, are you kidding me?" Love that conclusion - That's what I thought about Gilead, which had a disturbing effect on my mood. And then I went on and read the sequel, Home, which made me even angrier. Should I read the third one in the series, to see if Robinson really is not my choice for Pulitzer? ;-)
Lisa wrote: "I really enjoyed this review, Jibran! I liked it enough to rate it higher, apparently (can't remember why), but only managed to squeeze out a one sentence review, containing the suspect word "nice"..."Thank you, Lisa. This was one of my first attempts to write coherent reviews here on GR and the tone is rather flippant and cheeky. But I'm glad you liked it. I have it on good authority that Lahiri's has matured over the time and her later books are worth reading.
I didn't know at the time that Pulitzer (and even Booker) are thought by some astute readers as a byname of mediocrity! The awards have a high public profile and will continue to influence reader's choices. Despite my reservations I've been reading the longlist only if to keep in touch with the newest releases in the literary world.
Eric wrote: "I think you're being too hard on Lahiri. That sense of a camera recording events...It could be the influence of the literary style she knew well during her formative years as a writer, a style shar..."Hi Eric, I'm sorry I missed your comment somehow. I'm not sure if you'll check back but still responding.
That's an interesting take on Lahiri's style. I'd made the analogy to a stationary camera to emphasize the lack of style and any POV slant that would have put life into the narrative. I didn't feel it to be deliberately constructed as such, but if I've missed it this time, I'd like to see it done much better in her latter works. Thanks for taking the time to comment :)
I love this review. This sums up everything I’ve ever felt about Lahiri’s novels / short stories. I do think she’s a better short story writer but I’m tired of her salvation stories about south Asians who have migrated. I’m so glad a fellow south Asian feels this way :)
Sofia wrote: "I love this review. This sums up everything I’ve ever felt about Lahiri’s novels / short stories. I do think she’s a better short story writer but I’m tired of her salvation stories about south Asi..."Thanks, Sofia. I haven't read Lahiri's short stories but I'm willing to give them a try if they are different from her novels.
Salvation stories about South Asian immigrants - I like how to put it!
Thanks! I think they are a condensed version of her novels - same themes and issues but better handled and
I preferred The Interpreter of Maladies to Unaccustomed Earth (all the stories in the latter melt into one single story for me).
I left this book (didn't finish it myself) and commend you for actually being able to do so! I LOVED this review and totally agree with you, especially the lines you write here: "Some cultural comparisons are made as though to validate the enlightened United States at the cost of backward India. This is a familiar line in immigrant success stories: to justify their decision to migrate to the West by heaping scorn on the country or culture of their origin."Thank you so much for writing this review!
Saanvi wrote: "I left this book (didn't finish it myself) and commend you for actually being able to do so! I LOVED this review and totally agree with you, especially the lines you write here: "Some cultural comp..."Thanks for the kind words :)
I am glad you liked the review even though the novel was quite disappointing!
Really interesting review. Which authors and works would you recommend as an alternative ? I used to really like Lahiri as a teenager but I do remember finding this book a bit "light" with certain passages feeling a bit "creative writing 101", but overall liking it a lot. I feel like had this book been written about Egypt or the Egyptian diaspora I may have had the same thoughts as you, but i'm not Indian so I couldn't really see the themes your review pointed out, until you did point them out.
