The Namesake follows the 30 year history of the Ganguli family, in particular Gogol Ganguli. His parents move from Calcutta to Boston, and while never fully set on staying, they begin to raise a family. Gogol, saddled with a ridiculous name he resents (after Russian author Nicolai Gogol), grows up, finds and loses love, and becomes an architect. He has the constant unease of a man displaced, even as he settles into all things American and tries to forget his Indian heritage.
Lahiri writes plainly, her style's been called "transparent" and indeed at times I felt that I wasn't reading words, but having the story fed directly into my head. She keeps close to the characters and portrays them all sympathetically, withholding any judgment, so the novel feels very intimate. She fills the story with close descriptions of domestic details--clothes, food preparations, daily routines, but these details never feel overwhelming. Lahiri paints in objects, and suffuses them in tones of comfort or alienation.
The Namesake is a story you'll sink deep down into; its poignancy stays with you.
1 comment:
"I felt that I wasn't reading words, but having the story fed directly into my head"
You asked me what I liked about it. This is what I liked about it. One of the things, anyway.
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