Lahiri has definitely done her homework! More importantly however, she has structured her story around a very small, often overlooked, aspect of a life - the christening. Really, what's in a name? And how many of us have bothered finding out the reason behind our most obvious identity - our names? But in that simple event, the writer has managed to intertwine larger questions and conflicts of existence. Especially existence as an outsider. A foreigner. The reality of being the other and the consequences of it. She spins a story out of the basic human habit of naming things (and people).
The idea is refreshing, mostly because it is simple.
The central character's conflict of identity is encapsulated largely within his unease regarding his name. Like he says, Gogol is no name for him. It makes no sense as it is neither Indian, like his ancestry nor American, like his nationality. His discomfort with having a Russian name is therefore obvious. A name which cannot be explained away on either pretence - ancestry or nationality.
Some aspects of life as an Indian in America have been portrayed very well. The characters have been sketched with a sure, deft hand. The ghettoism that Bengalis are infamous for, is also presented remarkably, and is one of the many conflicts that Gogol faces in the course of the tale.
The descriptions of history and architecture are vivid and evocative. They do not confuse and alienate the reader with jargon, unlike Vikram Seth's incessant jargonistic babble which goes by the name An Equal Music.
The idea is refreshing, mostly because it is simple.
The central character's conflict of identity is encapsulated largely within his unease regarding his name. Like he says, Gogol is no name for him. It makes no sense as it is neither Indian, like his ancestry nor American, like his nationality. His discomfort with having a Russian name is therefore obvious. A name which cannot be explained away on either pretence - ancestry or nationality.
Some aspects of life as an Indian in America have been portrayed very well. The characters have been sketched with a sure, deft hand. The ghettoism that Bengalis are infamous for, is also presented remarkably, and is one of the many conflicts that Gogol faces in the course of the tale.
The descriptions of history and architecture are vivid and evocative. They do not confuse and alienate the reader with jargon, unlike Vikram Seth's incessant jargonistic babble which goes by the name An Equal Music.
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