The Namesake was a surprise to me. I really didn't think I'd like it. Just recently we read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, a winner of the Booker Award, for our book discussion and it was a very difficult read. So of course, when I realized the Namesake was of an Indian culture too, I thought, "Oh, here we go again!" I was pleasantly surprised. Lahiri is able to write in a flowing manner.
The book tells a story of a family who moved to America from their homeland of India and began to form their own roots here. The parents retain many of the traditional values and rituals of their homeland while beginning to incorporate American traditions and holidays into their lives for their children's sake. The book follows Gogol thru his life and the ups and downs that come with being "different" in a foreign land, even though I feel he leans more toward the American way of life than the Indian culture of his parents.
In the past several years I have become very interested in reading books about foreign lands. They have to be fiction and I know that many things in there may not be all factual, but I get a feel for what it is like there without reading those dry non-fiction titles. I admit I am a FICTION kind of girl! I would recommend this book to others and would even read more things from this author.
We plan, as a group, to get together and watch the movie and compare it with the book.
The book tells a story of a family who moved to America from their homeland of India and began to form their own roots here. The parents retain many of the traditional values and rituals of their homeland while beginning to incorporate American traditions and holidays into their lives for their children's sake. The book follows Gogol thru his life and the ups and downs that come with being "different" in a foreign land, even though I feel he leans more toward the American way of life than the Indian culture of his parents.
In the past several years I have become very interested in reading books about foreign lands. They have to be fiction and I know that many things in there may not be all factual, but I get a feel for what it is like there without reading those dry non-fiction titles. I admit I am a FICTION kind of girl! I would recommend this book to others and would even read more things from this author.
We plan, as a group, to get together and watch the movie and compare it with the book.
No comments:
Post a Comment