Book Review: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Namesake: heartfelt and reverberating.



image courtesy: Goodreads

Something inside me always kept telling me that this is a book I must read sometime in my lifetime. And true to my instinct, the novel turned out to be one i could not keep down. To someone who have never left his or her country, the story line might seem quite ordinary but for an immigrant, or one born to immigrant parents, this book speak volumes.

The novel was a real treat to me as it reminded me of the time I have spend in the United States and the nostalgia associated with it. 

This novel affects me quite a lot because the struggle for an identity or homeland are the recurrent themes portrayed by the author. As an immigrant growing up in the United States, at times I was confused about which my real home is or whether I grow up the American or the Indian way. But time and experience have taught me that life is all about a balance. It really is about finding and being the best of both worlds; to take in the good things from the new world, all while being true to one's heritage and where they have come from. And I must say that in the end both the worlds shaped me up to what I am today. And I believe that the protagonist Gogol/Nikhil was trying all his life to find that true self. And I believe that in the end he understood the value of his ancestry and heritage and the reason why his parents held on to it even after many decades.

The namesake might have been written long ago but it will forever stay within the mind of the readers as it speaks of the immigrant life and identify crisis many have went through and will continue to go through.

                                                                     - Rithin.

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