The last book I read of Jhumpa Lahiri was The Interpreter of Maladies. I have also read her Unaccustomed Earth. However, it was The Namesake that pulled me to her writings.
The simplicity with which she weaves the inner conflicts of a typical Bengali in an American society is unputdownable. It is but natural that any first generation Indian will have the occassional retrospection of a family and home far away across the Atlantic Ocean and long to go back to his roots.
The Lowland is the story of two brothers one driven by the contemporary strong left wing politics confident of bringing a change in the government(Udayan) and the other ambitious of his career (Subhas).
They grow up in the shades of a radically developing Indian city (Kolkata) where the rich play golf in the city clubs while the poor spends the night in starvation. The way Lahiri sketches the 1960s Calcutta with its iconic buildings like Technicians Studio in Tollygunge, the Tollygunge Club, Shahid Minar, etc makes you want to go back to those times even if you are a resident of the city itself. It was the time of cult Bengali movies like Charulata, the Hindu Muslim riots, and the rise of Communist Party of India. As they grow up, Udayan gets influenced by the Marxist movement and executes various anti-government operations. Subhas,on the other hand, completes his under graduation in Jadavpur University and goes abroad to pursue his further studies. The story takes a turn when Udayan gets killed in a police encounter and Subhas marries his brother' s expecting wife Kamala to save her from the rigid Indian customs on an Indian widow. What happens there after is a conflict of duty towards a brother's wife and a longing for an emotional attachment from the wife. How a generation continues in a far away land from East India uprooted from all the roots in he "lowlands" of Tollygunge is not only moving but highly reflective of the present situation of Indian society.
The book is a pleasant read for your lazy afternoons and a wonderful retrospection of the radical 60s' Calcutta, the birth of the "Presidency University" culture and the intellectual punjabi clad Bengali Students. If you are reading Jhumpa Lahiri for the first time, then this book will definitely impress you with its simple storyline. However, if you have read the earlier works of the writer, then I am not sure if the book comes up to the expectations. Though it is a very moving story, the idea of the same kind of NRI Bengalis tend to be a little repetitive of her style. Some might argue that this is her style, but still, I as a reader, would like her to christen some other areas with her writings. Jhumpa Lahiri is an excellent writer of the modern times and I will be eagerly waiting for her next book.:)
Feel free to post your comments and your take on the book. :)
The simplicity with which she weaves the inner conflicts of a typical Bengali in an American society is unputdownable. It is but natural that any first generation Indian will have the occassional retrospection of a family and home far away across the Atlantic Ocean and long to go back to his roots.
The Lowland is the story of two brothers one driven by the contemporary strong left wing politics confident of bringing a change in the government(Udayan) and the other ambitious of his career (Subhas).
They grow up in the shades of a radically developing Indian city (Kolkata) where the rich play golf in the city clubs while the poor spends the night in starvation. The way Lahiri sketches the 1960s Calcutta with its iconic buildings like Technicians Studio in Tollygunge, the Tollygunge Club, Shahid Minar, etc makes you want to go back to those times even if you are a resident of the city itself. It was the time of cult Bengali movies like Charulata, the Hindu Muslim riots, and the rise of Communist Party of India. As they grow up, Udayan gets influenced by the Marxist movement and executes various anti-government operations. Subhas,on the other hand, completes his under graduation in Jadavpur University and goes abroad to pursue his further studies. The story takes a turn when Udayan gets killed in a police encounter and Subhas marries his brother' s expecting wife Kamala to save her from the rigid Indian customs on an Indian widow. What happens there after is a conflict of duty towards a brother's wife and a longing for an emotional attachment from the wife. How a generation continues in a far away land from East India uprooted from all the roots in he "lowlands" of Tollygunge is not only moving but highly reflective of the present situation of Indian society.The book is a pleasant read for your lazy afternoons and a wonderful retrospection of the radical 60s' Calcutta, the birth of the "Presidency University" culture and the intellectual punjabi clad Bengali Students. If you are reading Jhumpa Lahiri for the first time, then this book will definitely impress you with its simple storyline. However, if you have read the earlier works of the writer, then I am not sure if the book comes up to the expectations. Though it is a very moving story, the idea of the same kind of NRI Bengalis tend to be a little repetitive of her style. Some might argue that this is her style, but still, I as a reader, would like her to christen some other areas with her writings. Jhumpa Lahiri is an excellent writer of the modern times and I will be eagerly waiting for her next book.:)
Feel free to post your comments and your take on the book. :)
