Having enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, The Namesake, I soon found and blazed through her collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. I definitely like these short stories more than her longer work, but I have to keep reading her stuff so I know for sure what I prefer.
I like Lahiri's use of food, everyday routines, and simple actions to show universal emotions. The stories highlight a moment or a phase in a person's life, or in the life of a relationship. Similar themes of immigration, race, identity, mixed-culture, community, and ritual cycle through the stories so that while each one stands alone, the entire collection feels greater than the sum of its parts.
I laughed on several occasions, sighed, and cried (only once, but I had to put the book down for a second to compose myself). I'm curious to read more from Lahiri--she published another short story collection in 2008 and her second novel just came out this year.
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