Jhumpa Lahiri
The good part is that the usual characters are all present – Kolkata, Boston, melancholy, wistfulness. The better part is that Jhumpa Lahiri is in top form. I was a bit disappointed with the last book so I started this with a skeptical mindset, but am extremely glad to have been proved wrong.
The story spans about four generations, beginning in the 1950s and ending in contemporary times. What is interesting is that, though at least a couple of the characters seem easy enough to slot into standard stereotypes – a Naxalite moved by his milieu into embracing a fiery ideology, and his brother who moves to the US and becomes the immigrant absorbed in scientific research building a new life in an alien country, the author takes them beyond that in the story arc, giving them depth and layers.
One wonders whether it is the story of Udayan whose influence in the lives of the characters extend far beyond his death, or that of Subhash and the women in his life – a mother disappointed by his choice, a wife who never loved him as he wished she would, and a daughter whom he raised but is not his own. Or is it really the story of Gauri, and her journey which seems to be played out in a real as well as philosophical level? “Plato says that the purpose of philosophy is to teach us how to die.” Between these three, the author travels the spectrum of human nature – from its most benevolent to its most selfish. The Lowland is the stretch of land between two ponds – probably also symbolising the two brothers and Gauri.
Many things worked for me – to start with, characters whom I could empathise with. Udayan and his dedication to a philosophy doomed to fail, Subhash and his calm acceptance of the scenarios destiny threw at him, and even Gauri, who despite her seeming selfishness, is, in the end, just a lonely soul. Jhumpa Lahiri’s prose is vivid, and one can visualise the places with ease. Such is the power of the narrative that the book forces you to stop at many places, close your eyes, and come to terms with the thought and the situation. At many points, I found the book bordering on depressing, but that is a testament to the quality of writing, and the author’s depiction of the human condition. I also liked the way she moves the story forward in huge swaths (sometimes) underplaying the potential drama until the very end.
A story about the choices we make and their repercussions, and despite the occasional focus on Naxalism in Tollygunge and university life in Rhode Island, a universal tale. I am glad to be a fan boy again! 🙂
