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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33917.The_Namesake?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Namesake" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BPR9K0MJL._SL160_.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33917.The_Namesake?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Namesake</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3670.Jhumpa_Lahiri">Jhumpa Lahiri</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1648483?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 2 of 5 stars I must make two confessions before I delve into a proper review of this book:
 
 1. I saw the movie adaptation of this novel before I read the book.
 2. I have read, and loved, Interpreter of Maladies.
 
 As much as I tried to put these two substantial forces out of my mind, they were inevitably the lens through which I understood The Namesake. While I unfortunately began this book knowing the plot, I also knew that Lahiri's prose is among the best I've ever read. Her short stories are nearly flawless, and each individual piece offers a profound view of the complex world of her characters.
 
 The narration of the novel is true to Lahini's form-- effortless, smooth, subtle and richly detailed. The plot, however, feels stretched thin; nothing extraordinary occurs in Gogol's life, outside of the death of his father. In fact, this novel was quite a departure from Lahiri's earlier work in Interpreter of Maladies in that Gogol is so unconflicted, so thoroughly American as to seek to overcome his parent's attempts to instill in him the values they've retained from their way of life in India. Instead, he immerses himself in the country of his birth, adopting himself into the most American way of life that Lahiri can imagine for him.
 
 The Ratliffs represent, in my opinion, an example of the execesses that most likely represent the American way of life to outsiders. This is a life full of dinner parties, lots of wine, summer-long vacations from work, shopping, etc, and is meant to provide a contrast to Gogol's modest upbringing. Only the unsettling death of his father can bring Gogol to realize that he will never find a true home here.
 
 Even more unsettling was Gogol's relationship with Moushumi. Despite that she comes from a similar foundation as Gogol himself, this character lived in profusion of wealth and personal riches, including a fancy apartment (for a student? with immigrant parents?) beautiful clothing and trips to Paris. Despite their parent's initial glee upon their marriage, Moushumi's inability to maintain a marriage with a man of similar decent becomes their undoing. After all of this, I only ask, what is the point? What is to be learned from this?
 
 Those two questions were inevitably all that remained for me at the conclusion of the novel. We are, at the novel's close, to believe that Gogol has returned home by reading his long-forgotten short stories of Nikolai Gogol. Somehow, all of Nikhil's cavorting is to be forgiven upon his acceptance of his "real" name. True introspection regarding Gogol's origins had been cast aside by Gogol himself, and so the conclusion of the book seems hasty.
 
 While Lahiri's prose was excellent thoughout, and her musings on what's-in-a-name (something that I, as a Davis, will never tire of) were interesting, I found this novel, overall, to be only mildly worthy of short story material, but not at all worthy of a 200+ page novel. 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/114760?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Day's review
rating:
bookshelves: fiction
recommended for: ...

I must make two confessions before I delve into a proper review of this book:

1. I saw the movie adaptation of this novel before I read the book.
2. I have read, and loved, Interpreter of Maladies.

As much as I tried to put these two substantial forces out of my mind, they were inevitably the lens through which I understood The Namesake. While I unfortunately began this book knowing the plot, I also knew that Lahiri's prose is among the best I've ever read. Her short stories are nearly flawless, and each individual piece offers a profound view of the complex world of her characters.

The narration of the novel is true to Lahini's form-- effortless, smooth, subtle and richly detailed. The plot, however, feels stretched thin; nothing extraordinary occurs in Gogol's life, outside of the death of his father. In fact, this novel was quite a departure from Lahiri's earlier work in Interpreter of Maladies in that Gogol is so unconflicted, so thoroughly American as to seek to ov...more I must make two confessions before I delve into a proper review of this book:

1. I saw the movie adaptation of this novel before I read the book.
2. I have read, and loved, Interpreter of Maladies.

As much as I tried to put these two substantial forces out of my mind, they were inevitably the lens through which I understood The Namesake. While I unfortunately began this book knowing the plot, I also knew that Lahiri's prose is among the best I've ever read. Her short stories are nearly flawless, and each individual piece offers a profound view of the complex world of her characters.

The narration of the novel is true to Lahini's form-- effortless, smooth, subtle and richly detailed. The plot, however, feels stretched thin; nothing extraordinary occurs in Gogol's life, outside of the death of his father. In fact, this novel was quite a departure from Lahiri's earlier work in Interpreter of Maladies in that Gogol is so unconflicted, so thoroughly American as to seek to overcome his parent's attempts to instill in him the values they've retained from their way of life in India. Instead, he immerses himself in the country of his birth, adopting himself into the most American way of life that Lahiri can imagine for him.

The Ratliffs represent, in my opinion, an example of the execesses that most likely represent the American way of life to outsiders. This is a life full of dinner parties, lots of wine, summer-long vacations from work, shopping, etc, and is meant to provide a contrast to Gogol's modest upbringing. Only the unsettling death of his father can bring Gogol to realize that he will never find a true home here.

Even more unsettling was Gogol's relationship with Moushumi. Despite that she comes from a similar foundation as Gogol himself, this character lived in profusion of wealth and personal riches, including a fancy apartment (for a student? with immigrant parents?) beautiful clothing and trips to Paris. Despite their parent's initial glee upon their marriage, Moushumi's inability to maintain a marriage with a man of similar decent becomes their undoing. After all of this, I only ask, what is the point? What is to be learned from this?

Those two questions were inevitably all that remained for me at the conclusion of the novel. We are, at the novel's close, to believe that Gogol has returned home by reading his long-forgotten short stories of Nikolai Gogol. Somehow, all of Nikhil's cavorting is to be forgiven upon his acceptance of his "real" name. True introspection regarding Gogol's origins had been cast aside by Gogol himself, and so the conclusion of the book seems hasty.

While Lahiri's prose was excellent thoughout, and her musings on what's-in-a-name (something that I, as a Davis, will never tire of) were interesting, I found this novel, overall, to be only mildly worthy of short story material, but not at all worthy of a 200+ page novel. ...less

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message 1: by Sandy

08/20/2007 12:11AM

Very intertesting thoughts Day. Well, yes, though I loved reading The Namesake, I will admit that that the novel is not able to put forth any strong point of views. And yes, the ending too, where Gogol picks up his namesake author and starts reading it appears a bit too simplistic.