The Namesake

I recently finished reading Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake". OK, not so recently, but I needed some time to decide how I felt about the book. I also watched the movie with my husband because I was oh so curious about how it would transfer to the screen. What would be kept in? What would be left out? I believe the movie did it some justice but I did feel it necessary to stop and explain things to David as we watched.

It is about a Bengali couple who moves to New York from Calcutta. He is a professor and she is a housewife. They make their life together far away from their own families. They have a son whom they name Gogol after Ashoke's (the father) favorite Russian author. There is more to the story of his name but I need to leave something for you to discover on your own right? It is mostly Gogol's story. The journey of a young boy who grows up trying to find the balance between life in America and the traditions and culture of his Bengali family. I believe he does find balance in the end, although it is left fairly open-ended. Perhaps that is why I can't stop thinking about it.

It is a beautifully written story that I recommend if you like complex characters and hidden freedoms. Parts are filled with heartache and others with joy. In a way we all experience something similar to Gogol as we move through life trying to find out who we really are. Which parts of our heritage do we embrace and which do we do without?