Interpreter of Maladies Reviews

• Interpreting maladies.

  
  By A3D6TFYRMIV3ZL on 2001-12-08
  An Interpreter of Maladies is not, as Mrs. Das thinks (and as the reader of Jhumpa Lahiri's stories may initially be thinking, too), a medical doctor or a psychologist; someone who interprets the origin and meaning of his patients' various illnesses and malaises and then prescribes the adequate treatment. No: an Interpreter of Maladies is someone who helps them communicate, who speaks the patients' language and is therefore able to translate their personal representation of their feelings to the listener who then, in turn, must come up with his own interpretation of those representations.
  
  And like Mr. Kapasi, the improbable hero of this collection's title story, Ms. Lahiri merely gives an account of her characters' feelings and situation in life at one particular moment - she rarely judges them, nor does she strive to tell the entire story of their lives; even where, as in "The Third and Final Continent," the narrative covers several decades, it is truly only one brief but crucial period which is important. No sledgehammer is being wielded; Lahiri's tone is subtle, subdued - like any good interpreter, she talks in a low voice, just loud enough for her listener/reader to understand; and you have to want to listen to her. If you expect her to shout, to force her account on you in bullet points and bold strikes, you will miss the many finer nuances in between.
  
  Jhumpa Lahiris heroes are Asian and American, they live in India, Pakistan, London and the U.S., and they eat (and painstakingly slowly prepare) delicious, spicy and flavorful food. Many of the stories deal with emotions and life situations which, although they happen to be experienced by Indians and Asian Americans here, are truly universal - the slow and unspoken death of a marriage ("A Temporary Matter"), prejudice against the unknown, particularly when it comes in the form of an illness ("The Treatment of Bibi Haldar"), the frustrations of a life of unfulfilled promises ("Interpreter of Maladies"), and the multilateral deceptions of marital infidelity ("Sexy"), blunted by the trappings of middle class materialism (again, the title story).
  
  Most of Lahiri's Asian American protagonists belong to the "intellectual" upper middle class suburbian population of Boston and other East Coast cities. While on the one hand this is a plus, because that is the author's own background, too, and therefore a segment of society she can describe from personal experience - which also allows her to make these characters particularly accessible - it on the other hand provides for the story collection's one deficiency; in that it renders her portrayal of Asian Americans (whether recent immigrants or second- and third-generation U.S. citizens) unnecessarily unilateral, to the point of bordering on stereotype - more precisely, the Indian version of the stereotypes generally associated with this part of society. Nevertheless, most of Jhumpa Lahiri's often unlikely heroes are portrayed in great depth, and many of them with a lot of sympathy for their humanness and shortcomings. In the best sense of her adopted role as an interpreter of her protagonists' maladies, it is this delicate understanding and empathy which ultimately carries the tone in Lahiri's writing and which makes her reader want to listen, and to come up with his or her own interpretation of each of these stories.
  
  Of Marriageable Age
  The God of Small Things
  
  

• The Triumph of Mediocrity

  
  By on 2001-04-08
  I'm glad that a number of South Asian reviewers had the same opinion of this book as I did, and gave me the names of better SA authors to pursue. The New York publishing cartel, the editors of the New Yorker magazine, and the Pulitzer Prize committee together run the risk of turning readers away from ethnic fiction if they continue to elevate unremarkable books like this above all others.

  Where are the gatekeepers? There is absolutely nothing here that I haven't read before, in the eighties, by other trendy young women writers. They put an Indian stamp on it, and it's supposed to be profound? These stories had no ability to evoke character or emotion, the prose style was unremarkable, the structure color by numbers. There was not a surprise or a genuine moment anywhere. A real effort to pander to trendy tastes, though, with unconvincing depictions of adulterous affairs, and so forth. Nothing new here, except for the color of the characters' skins.

  As I read these stories, I felt they were written by an author who was simply copying other fiction writers' work and depictions of emotions and situations, rather than had actually experienced anything herself. The view is surface, facile, and immature. You get the impression that the author is a very protected and cossetted young woman, with little experience of life, and no genuine imagination to draw form either.

  I was left thinking she had been promoted and snatched up because she fit this year's ethnic category. Let's see, we've done the late blooming Irish hard luck story, a heavy historical novel or two, I think we've overdone the Holocost and slavery a little too much, don't you? How about something no one can object to -- a woman, an immigrant story, no fresh ideas or anything anyone can possibly take offense to. Well, as a lover or good literature, I've taken offense at this injustice.

  I feel like the publishing industry is shoving mediocrity down our throats. I know there's passionate writing out there somewhere. But the industry has decided to play it safe by hailing generic fiction like this.
  
  

• Story telling at its best...

  
  By A3BDX7OVIFO2SO on 2000-06-26
  I loved reading Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Interpreter of Maladies'.

  Being an Indian myself, I'm tired of reading books that package India's 'exoticism' to the West. Jhumpa Lahiri's stories do not revolve around the "Indianness" of the characters.India is always in the background, but the characters and their emotions are simply human.

  In the 'Interpreter of Maladies', Ms. Lahiri's breathtakingly beautiful, yet simple style of storytelling tells you a story about people who just happen to be Indian.The narrative she employs is very humane, with a lot of attention to detail. The stories are strong and delicate at the same time.

  I particularly enjoyed the title story 'Interpreter of Maladies' and the last story 'The Third and Final continent'.

  Another aspect of her writing I particularly liked is that she doesn't drown the story in style. The narrative occupies centerstage and the story telling is natural, not contrived.

  Looking forward to her next book

  Mekhala Vasthare
  
  

• I wanted to love it

  
  By on 1999-08-25
  I recently heard Ms. Lahiri read and I was so impressed with her that I went out and bought the book. The story she read riveted me but when I re read it (the title piece 'The Interpreter of Maladies') I found it was nowhere as enjoyable as it had been when delivered by Ms. Lahiri in person. I read a lot of current fiction and these stories fall squarely in the tradition of the new short story writing that is in such vogue. Like Nathan Englander's work they are tight, controlled pieces that evoke a somewhat "exotic" [to the average urban US reader] world and deliver a well-timed punch that is easy to understand. Ms. Lahiri guides her reader to the finish line showing you when and how to understand the plot. There is little complexity or subtlety to her characters or her plots. Like some of her other reviewers I agree that these are enjoyable stories, worth taking out from the library but they are not vital or original. Perhaps one day Ms. Lahiri will write something that will justify the hype but this collection hasn't quite done it.
  
  

• Defining moments

  
  By A18UOZAIADDV6C on 2003-11-20
  Structure-wise the book is a showcase of point of views, which makes one feel as if the book was intended as a study on writing styles. Stories are written in the first person voice (as a Indian girl, as a just married Indian man), in third person voice, and as an intrusive author (in "the treatment of Bibi Haldar"). Events mostly take place in the greater Boston area (which may explain the book's popularity in New England) and Bengal, India. The WSJ review on the back cover is misleading in that not all stories concern immigrants (two short stories concern Indians living in India). However each story has at least one Indian protagonist.

  The stories concern snapshots of lives, defining moments of characters. By "defining moments" I do not mean anything grand. These are moments that occur in everyday life, events so banal that they seem negligible at first sight. Yet those moments impact the protagonists in the way that life becomes no longer the same for them. By confessing that their miscarried baby was a boy over a forced (the electricity went out) candle-light dinner, a deteriorating marriage is salvaged (in "a temporary matter"); a seven year old boy's compliment "you are sexy" induces her relationship with a married man to end (upon hearing it she suddenly realizes she is not unique -- in "sexy").

  Lahiri is a meticulous writer. You will almost be able to smell her egg curries and feel her bright colored saris. But it is really her quiet, suggestive prose that makes one want more.
  
  

• Every me and every you
  By A2T47C5XF9FQI7 on 2000-04-08
  This collection of stories taking place either in India or New England explores the differing ways people can be foreigners in strange or familiar ways and lands. Lahiri's eloquent storyweaving is full of humor and confusion, and is an utter joy to read. I look forward to a full novel by her.
  
  
• A beautiful collection
  By A3KEZLJ59C1JVH on 2006-06-11
  "Interpreter of Maladies" is a collection of nine stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. Each story documents the lives of traditional Indian people who manage to retain their culture in a variety of surroundings. The stories are all very different and feature strong characters who make the best of things in difficult circumstances. In "A Temporary Matter," Shoba and Shukumar take advantage of a blackout in their neighborhood and use the time to confront the problems in their marriage and grieve for their stillborn child. "Sexy" revolves around Miranda, an American woman who is having an affair with a married Indian man. "Mrs. Sen's" revolves around Eliot, a young American boy who is taken care of by a young Bengali woman every day after school. "The Third and Final Continent" follows a young man's journey from India to London and finally to the United States, where he rents a room from from a 103-year-old woman while waiting for his new bride to arrive.
  
  All of these stories are incredibly beautiful, poignant, and bittersweet. Lahiri does an excellent job of interpreting the maladies of all the various characters, and the result is an elegant collection of stories that will leave the reader yearning for more.
  
  
• One worth more than Amazon sells it for!
  By A227LXZKDSIT1 on 2000-03-05
  Jhumpa Lahiri writes with such vision and clarity of prose, it seems the stories she writes could not have been written another way. The stories and characters are so alive that I felt I was no longer reading, but rather witnessing them...standing just a few steps away from the characters.
  
  
• Huge dissapointment and reason not to rely on reviews!
  By A3JMKC5120UVM6 on 1999-12-30
  I have been recently exposed to a whole world of SA writers and this has got to rank on the bottom of the list! Never have I found reading so predictable and contrived as Luhiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" I was sorely dissapointed. I purchase books by SA female writer irrespective of the reviews because I feel its one way to support and encourage more SA females to write. Never have I been more dissapointed...especially in light of the hype the Western media has endowed upon Lahiri. Her style of writing is banal and her content, cliche. After I read her book, I switched to non-SA writers. It saddens me that the current SA writers hype after Rushdie and Arundhati Roy's "God of Small Things" the western media would celebrate such a cliche writer in the midst of amazing SA writers (Rohington Mistry, Rushdie, R.K.Narayan, etc). I would not recommend this to ANYONE! If you are truly interested in good SA writers, read ANYTHING by Rohington Mistry, R.K.Narayan, A.Roy, G.Mehta, or C.Banarjee. I would never read anything by this author and would rank her writing on the bottom of the tons of books I have read by SA writers.
  
  
• Interpreter of Maladies... A gentle breeze
  By A2UQAALGZM6EWN on 2000-01-04
  During the last few months, this book by Jhumpa Lahiri has become one of the popular gift items in our family. And this is for a very good reason. Reading this book was like a gentle breeze with a familer fragrance brushing the sweet memories of a world with hidden treasures. In her stories, Ms. Lahiri has created a magical world with her eloquent and skillful writing. She seems to have an insight into human characters and a capacity of describing a situation to its very essence. Creations and portrayal of characters such as Mr. Pirzada, Mrs. Sen, Mr. Kapasi, Sanjeev, Miranda, Bibi etc, are so realistic that one is tempted to look for them among the acquaintances. She has created stories of unusual depths around insignificant circumstances and with insipid, ordianry but realistic characters. She is a writer with eyes of an artist, who with her skillful descriptions, can create vivid images in the mind of a reader, who is almost transported into the story. As a writer, her strength is in her ability to tell a story and no doubt, she has demonstrated it very well. I have many favorite pieces of her stories, but I like to mention the following excerpts in which I was impressed with her abilites to relate to the minds of the characters she created. In " When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dinner", the child of the host family, wondered about something closer to his world. " Before eating, Mr. Pirzada always did a curious thing. He took out a plain silver watch.....". The child hears about a distant world with all its unrest and war, but cannot relate to it. He tries to find a clue to Mr. Przada's actions which seem strange to him. Another part is the description of the chopping blade in "Mrs. Sen". Through eyes of Eliot, the little boy, the writer describes the blade. This is a superb description, through the eyes of someone who is not familier with the details of the usage of an Indian domestic kithen tool and describes it in his own way. In the final pragraph of "Interprter of Maladies", the writer skillfully ends the story, but leaves the readers to draw their own conclusions about the Das Family and their sense of importance and priorities. ".. the slip of paper with Mr. Kapasi's address on it fluttered away into the wind. No one, but Mr. Kapasi notices." It is hard to interpret the slight ache in this reader's heart that she felt. Was it for Mr. Kapasi or Mrs. Das? Or, was it for Mr. Das? Or was it for Bobby who got abused by the monkeys? My congratulations to Ms Lahiri for her work. I look forward to her future work.
  
  
• Heart-warming, Revealing, Cultural Short Stories
  By A2SRZQU1SZG4RR on 2004-04-08
  There are eight heart-warming, revealing, personal human interest stories in this small volume which make it quite clear why Ms Jhumpa Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in literature. Her stories are vivid and colorful descriptions of human experiences and life situations. Some are light-hearted and humorous, others serious, some are everyday occurrences; all leave a deep impression on the reader who is a little wiser, kinder and more compassionate after having read them.

  The reader will long remember the nights that the electricity went out in a neighborhood where Shoba (female) and Shukumar (male) lived. They became emotionally distant after the still born birth of their baby. On the first night, Shukumar prepared a traditional Indian dinner which the couple had not eaten for a long time, not since they grew apart due to the impact of this personal tragedy. Shoba started a little game, of revealing something to her husband that she said he never knew about her. He was expected to reciprocate. Shukumar began to have more intense feelings of love toward his wife after these revelations began. In fact, even after the electricity was fixed ... they continued their "candle light suppers" and "secret revelations". Shukumar was in for a big surprise one night when Shoba laid before him, one of her 'secret revelations'. Read the story to find out what he discovered ...

  In another story, we are introduced to Mr. Pirzada, originally from a region of India, which later was partitioned to become Pakistan. He routinely visited an Indian family for dinner and to watch TV, particularly the news, to learn of developments in his homeland. He was a research botanist at a local university and lived in sparse surroundings. He left his wife and seven daughters in the region of India which broke out in war and afterwards became Pakistan. He won a research grant at a prestigious University in his specialty. During his visits to this family, he brought treats and candies for the little girl. The little girl was raised in the USA and primarily learned only US history. Much later, she discovered the reasons Mr. Pirzada visited and his strong affection for the little girl. She hoarded her treats in a secret box, and carefully doled them out to herself to make them last. The war had ended and Mr. Pirzada's research was competed. He returned to Pakistan and sent the Indian family a letter, explaining that all was well, his wife and daughters survived the war. Life was being built anew. It was only then the little girl realized the importance of these visits to Mr. Pirzada and to herself as well. Watching the news, learning about developments on the otherside of the globe reminded him of his wife and family. Providing the little girl treats had somehow connected him closer to his own little girls. There are other equally enchanting stories in this book which leave the reader filled with a warm glow. All the stories in the book reveal significant details about people's lives with sensitivity and compassion. Each is a slices of human life, which unravels deep emotions that are delicate threads which connect the person or people to their culture and to humanity as a whole. This is an excellent book and receives my highest recommendations. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
  
  

• Don't read this review, read the book
  By A292CHYO98IH8W on 2000-04-20
  I don't want to give five stars to Jhumpa Lahiri because I feel that if I do, there will be no place left for improvement (not that there is). "Interpreter of Maladies" is probably one of the best short story collections I have ever read in my life. Unlike many of my other favorite authors (let's say Marquez), Lahiri is consistent in her quality of writing throughout the book. At a first glance her themes seem very commonplace, but her language is so eloquent, her sense of mood and detail so subtle, that everything simple turns into profound. The next day I had finished reading Lahiri's book, she won the Pulitzer Prize -- but again, who cares. The only thing that matters to me is that Lahiri has given me a new hope in modern literature. Enjoy!
  
  
• Insubstantial and safe
  By A39E29CZ6NFXHW on 2000-09-26
  There are no challenges here. The book does not breathe.

  I feel that I have found a truly great written work when, as I read the work, I can feel the pulse of the author and the creation in my fingers and palms when I hold the book. That this collection of mild, uninspired stories won the Pulitzer Prize says something about me, I am sure, but even more about the Pulitzer Committee and the state of fiction at this time. Even the tragedies uncovered by the author in this case are neatly tied down, like the carcasses of cattle after being slaughtered. The language is timid, delicate, lace-like, instead of calm, clear, and solid. The pages seem to fear being touched and possibly soiled. The tone of the book, in my opinion, is that of a song played on one piano in one octave with no variation in tempo.

  Basically, the book bored me, though I know the stories were worth telling. I would only recommend this book to the calm, centered, directed beings who, like the readers who have been giving this work very high marks, and the Pulitzer. However, if you like to be challenged, if you like words to vibrate off the page with emotion and ideas and hopes and dreams and failures, then I would not waste my time reading these stories.
  
  

• Pass on this one
  By A21JQBX9KE6J5L on 2001-08-09
  Does anyone else think it is telling that most reviewers praising this collection cant go a sentence or two without making references to Indian cuisine, customs, and the loss of cultural identity?

  Obviously the Interpreter of Maladies deals with those things. But so do many better works of literature. Surely we should expect more from fiction than to merely evoke some vague sense of the other.

  Ms. Lahiri may have a unique perspective, but I dont really see it in this collection. Her characters, you see, are boring. Sure, they have some interesting features and they may come from interesting places, but we dont really care about them, mostly because we do not know them. Mrs. Das in the title story is a bored young wife, but little else. What makes her special other than that she is on a tour of India with her husband? Why does she put up with the dimwit in the first place? Consider too the parents in the autobiographical Mr. Pirzada comes to Dine. Is their only purpose to frown at the plight of Mr. Pirzadas family and prepare the occasional curry dinner? I wont even mention the gimmicky coming of age segment of the story.

  The most effective piece in this collection is A Temporary Matter. Not because the characters are particularly fascinating mind you(typical struggling graduate student and bread-maker spouse), but because all is not what it seemed. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is predictable, preachy, and banal. Lahiri gives us a slice of life, but little else.

  I didnt learn much about India or Indian immigrants in this story, but I didnt expect to. What I did hope for was a good read. The Interpreter of Maladies does not provide that.

  Of course, this book has been enormously successful so either I am being too demanding or Ms. Lahiri has been fortunate enough to find just the right niche.
  
  

• So good, I've already given away my copy to a friend!
  By A2T6RWGHT3DIDH on 2002-04-13
  I picked this up in Dubai and started reading one story.....just to pass the time in my hotel room.....and then I couldn't put it down until I'd finished the entire book.

  I am not a big reader of short stories, prefering the longer journey of the novel. However, Ms. Lahiri is such a gifted writer I will gladly read anything she comes out with next.

  The magic of this collection of stories is in how well drawn her characters are...she brings them to life, you understand their motivations, their choices, their story.....you don't feel as if they and you are simply being manipulated for the sake of a clever plot line the author wants to try out.

  In fact, most of the stories are not exotic, outlandish, mawkish stories.....they are vignettes from everyday life. Observations of ordinary people whose ordinary lives become sweet and memorable under the careful scrutiny of the author. The lasting impression is a greater appreciation of our lives and the stories we live from day to day.

  I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
  
  

• Timeless fiction about immigrant Indians in foreign lands
  By on 2002-06-01
  Jhumpa Lahiri reminds us what good fictional writing is all about. It's about simplicity, clarity and integrity in conveying some essential truth about our human condition. "Interpreter of Maladies", Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection, embodies all these qualities. The stories are mostly though not exclusively about immigrant Indians who have settled overseas and the cultural displacement they experience in their adopted homeland. Sometimes, the perspective is reversed, the location shifts back to the Indian subcontinent and we observe how second generation Americans of Indian origin are regarded when they return as tourists to their motherland. The stories are varied and thoroughly enchanting but the ones that work best are those that capture the absurdity of ordinary situations. There are no heroes and villains in these stories, just people who are vaguely discontent in their relationships due to disharmony with their new environment. "Interpreter of Maladies", the collection's centrepiece, is absolutely brilliant. It is poignant, yet humourous and the ultimate comedy of errors. "A Temporary Matter", "When Mr Pirzada Came To Dine", "A Real Durwan" and "Mrs Sen" are also memorable and deeply affecting for the little truths they reveal. It's great to see that the award committees are finally getting back to basics and recognising the virtues of good writing. Far too often, the splashier titles hog the headlines when it is timeless books like "Interpreter of Maladies" that are the more enduring and enjoy the longest shelf life. I'd be willing to bet that a decade from now, people would still be reading Lahiri's collection when other more showy titles have lost their shine.
  
  
• Stories written by recipe
  By on 2000-04-28
  I too wanted to love this book, and assumed I would, given the praise it has been given. I thought the first story, A Temporary Matter was excellent, but all the rest were predictable. I could anticipate what was going to happen before it did, giving me the odd feeling that I had somehow read these stories before. People talk about "workshop stories" and I have never been able to put my finger on what it is. I still have trouble defining what the problem is with this kind of story (and I graduated from a workshop myself) but now I realize that I know it when I read it. Perfectly fine stories, nicely written, but ultimately dull and uninspired, as if written from a recipe: add one conflict to one exotic setting, one case of infidelity, abuse, or angst, sprinkle with spare, clever writing and stir.
  
  
• A Subtle Critique of Globalization
  By A27MSJH4529GRK on 2001-05-07
  Jhumpa Lahiri is an ethnic Bengali writer, born in London. brought up in America, who writes in English. As someone caught between the rootless culture of the modern developed world and the more tradition-bound culture of India, she is well positioned to exploit that vague sense of unease that we feel when we turn our back on our roots and traditions.

  The short stories collected in this Pulitzer Prize-winning volume focus on different aspects of the modern Indian experience. Stories like "Sexy" and "This Blessed House" deal with Filofax-toting, young Indian professionals, apparently successful in the academic or computer fields in the USA, but nevertheless unsure of themselves and spiritually cast adrift in their adopted country. Often a contrast is made between traditional lifestyles, which, although far from perfect, seem somehow more real than modern ones. This echoes the way Chekhov used to juxtapose the hollow, glittery lives of the Russian bourgeoisie with the earthy lives of the peasants.

  In "Mrs Sen's" the painstaking method of preparing proper Indian meals, involving a litany of vegetables, is seen through the eyes of a young white boy whose single mother is too busy to look after him. But Lahiri is a good enough writer not to commit herself to narrow cliches about a 'spiritually vacuous West' or a 'soulful India.' Her stories set in the Subcontinent, like "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar," show how superstitious and narrow-minded such societies can be regarding illness and the need for marriage. The women in "This Blessed House" and "A Temporary Affair," by contrast, seem liberated by their lives in America.

  These stories explore the psychological and spiritual fissures opened up by the cultural dissonance of our modern age, and, as such, should strike a chord with anyone dissatisfied with the complexity and shallowness of out modern lives. The ultimate value of these stories is that they offer a subtle critique of globalization.
  
  

• Why the vitriol?
  By on 2000-03-22
  I thought this a lovely collection of short stories and I must admit I'm a bit confused at the vitriolic negative reviews (although I'm glad to see them so overwhelmed by the positive ones). Ms. Lahiri is, indeed, a young writer, but she is wonderfully talented.
  
  
• banal
  By A378H2ADEK4BSU on 2000-05-07
  I was disappointed with the book even before it'd won any awards. It's shallow, banal, trite. The characters are all two-dimensional without exception. Her style? Is missing. A sensitive chronicler of the immigrant experience? - I think not - both from the immigrant perspective, and from a writing perspective. I liken her writing to Bharati Mukherji's - another author who's received undue attention, praise and adulation, IMO.
  
  
• What's the big fuss about?
  By A1B5KRTICWBOU4 on 2001-03-31
  I must say I am taken aback by all the attention this book has been getting. It is a very well written book, but to me its main flaw is precisely that: it is "well written." These short stories seem to come out of a creative writing program designed to get you published in magazines like the New Yorker. They are well-constructed but bland. Ms. Lahiri's voice is preppy and impersonal. I recommend the last story, though.
  
  
• It Won A What?
  By on 2002-01-08
  This is the kind of writing that should win only rejection letters from editors. Blah blah blah. It's all "tell" not "show." Anyone can tell a story -- the challenge is to attempt to dramatize it. This tendency -- as in Nathan Englander -- to merely tell the story is perhaps due to the reading public's desire (and hence publishers') for biographies. Whatever the cause of its being actually published, without its so-called exotic flavor, this book would to this date only be available on Ms Lahiri's hard drive.
  
  
• Not quite an A+
  By A1M4SCD8KF52JD on 2002-11-14
  "Interpreter of Maladies" was very good, but not as earth-shatteringly excellent as I had expected it to be. On the surface, it looked like a book that I would love. After all, it's a collection of short stories and I ordinarily really love reading short stories. Also, I have developed quite an Indian fiction fetish in the past couple years and this book seemed to fit right in that. On top of all that it won the Pulitzer prize and received extremely favorable reviews from quite a few sources that I really trust. What with all of that, I expected to find myself raving about the book. Of course, this is probably all just meant to be a lesson to me about the dangers of high expectations and setting myself up to be disappointed...

  I don't want to make it sound like the book was bad, since it certainly wasn't. Jhumpa Lahiri is a very competent, good writer, and Interpreter of Maladies is an extremely impressive debut. The first story in the book, "A Temporary Matter" is an absolute work of genius, gorgeous and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, the other stories don't quite deliver the same emotional impact as that one, but they are all interesting and her prose is beautiful. Every once in a while her characters seem to cross the line into caricature, but for the most part she has a good feel for people and also writes believable dialogue. Nonetheless, the stories (with the exception of the first one) fail to make the leap from good to great. I think the reason for that is that Lahiri chickens out a little bit. She doesn't take the kind of creative risks that you need to be willing to take in order to write something truly great. While I was reading most of the stories in this book, I didn't get the feeling that she was really laying herself on the line to create something that stood out from the ordinary. Most of the stories seemed like the work of someone who has done an extremely good job of closely and carefully following a recipe--the meal is delicious, but it's not the work of a master chef. Lahiri's stories are like that; they're very well-crafted and lovely, but lack a certain spark of originality. Even so, that first story is good enough to indicate that she's worth watching.
  
  

• Great Stories, Great Writing
  By A3AH9WQ11EZ8UP on 2007-03-15
  This was an absolutely amazing and beautifully written collection of short stories, probably the most consistently enjoyable collection I've ever read. Lahiri's prose is so well written and translucent that it appears almost effortless; each selection is a joy to read both for the beauty of the author's voice and for the substance of the stories, most of which deal with marriage, relationships, family, and the search for a sense of belonging. I thought Lahiri did a good job exploring these subjects in a moving way, but without becoming overly sentimental or obvious. The resolution of each story is subtle, but not necessarily ambiguous; you see the momentum of change coming in the lives of the characters, although you're not sure exactly what will become of them afterward. Personally, I loved it that way: there were no easy answers or forced ephiphanies, but you did get a strong sense for what the characters were feeling and how they were changing. Every single story was somewhere between good to great, but my favorites were: A Temporary Matter ... When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine ... Interpreter of Maladies ... and The Third and Final Continent. Great book.
  
  
• Interpretive and a window to another world, but not enough
  By A3DGX5GGGNEBBH on 2000-06-29
  Jhumpa Lahiri is a talented write, no doubt, (the book won the Pulitzer for 2000) writing with a poetic cadence and within a genre that has recently become more and more of interest today -- the ethnic genre. Writing about Indian-American and modern Indian experiences, Lahiri brings to life a rarely considered experience in today's contemporary arena. The entire book is actually a collection of short stories, with all of them with the the exception of one of them, published in magazines, anthologies or newspapers. Some of the stories are told from the viewpoint of immigrants, some from the Caucasian, and some from the second generation Indian-American in search of an identity. What sets Maladies apart from other books of this genre is her attention to the various emotions and feelings that seemed to this reviewer to be very real and certainly identifiable. What may seem alien to "normal," mainstream America in the strange Indian culture of pre-arranged marriages, a love affair for spicy foods melt away with an understanding from the way the story is told. Lahiri however, seems at times to over dramatize her stories by over-relying on what she thinks is a panacea -- blinding candor. It's may seem tiring to the reader when simple short paragraphs keep on popping up. Regardless, a window to another world that is worth exploring more is opened and all readers should look through it.
  
  
• Terrible recording of an excellent book
  By A2W7O2MVEET691 on 2000-08-03
  Interpreter of Maladies is an excellent collection of short stories. Most of the stories feature characters who are of Indian origin, yet the focus is not on this aspect. "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" is my favorite story. It is about a little girl growing up in New England during the E Pakistan/W. Pakistan war, and how she interprets the conflict from accross the world. "Sexy" is about a young woman from the mid West, and how she, with little knowledge of India, imagines it to be. All of the stories give excellent interpretations of this East/West theme. I found the two stories that take place in India inferior to the rest, but still good. The tape however is terrible. Matilda Novak does the most rediculous and offensive Indian accent. It sounds to me almost half French, half who knows what. In addition her pronouciations of Indian words are rediculous. There is no excuse for pronouncing Tagore, "Tagora"! Her voice in general is annoying also. Someone really should have gone over her pronounciations, because ruining a great book like this is really terrible.
  
  
• "Splendid!"
  By ARO119CO4HZH5 on 2001-07-18
  This is a wonderful set of stories.

  When I first saw the title though, I wasn't sure I'd want to read a book called that. But then I heard about it winning the Pulitzer prize. And a few favorable comments finally swayed my decision.

  Ms. Lahiri's talent is undeniably fine. With the opening sentences of the first story, I knew she had me. Certainly, the setting was not that extraordinary. And, the characters seemed like fairly average people. But her choice of words, the selection of details to emphasize, the clarity of her authorial voice -- all of these elements hooked me in.

  Each of the stories here makes a remarkable impression. The themes underlie so much of our human experience and Ms. Lahiri's gentle telling never strains toward pontification. She makes the telling seem so natural, so easy. I am not one to think that reading should be a struggle -- an author should present a story so that one isn't puzzling out every detail. So, I appreciate that this writer did her job.

  In reading these stories, we are given a chance to interpret their meanings and attempt to understand the characters and situations presented. There isn't anything which will change your life (that may be why some people are less impressed by this book -- they're expecting a lot since it has been a prize winner). But, it will give you something to think about, some fine stories to enjoy.

  That is what for me makes this such an excellent book. The first stories I knew in life were ones which touched me and which I wanted to appreciate time and time again. This collection is like that.

  It will definitely find a space on the shelf of books I return to.
  
  

• One word - Fantastic
  By AO0HCM35LL15D on 2000-04-13
  Don't waste your time reading this review. Buy this book or borrow it from your library - JUST READ IT!
  
  
• Thoroughly Enjoyable
  By AW2T0G57RPUH5 on 2000-03-18
  In reading Jhumpa Lahiri's stories, I felt as satisfied as if I were reading Alice Munro's or Bharati Mukherjee's work. Lahiri has empathy for her characters as Munro does, and her stories turn on quiet but consequential revelations. One of the best new writers I have read in a long time.
  
  
• As short in thought as it is in length
  By on 2000-07-17
  How this sub-par piece of work won a Pulitzer is beyond me. If an award was given for these dull short stories, I guess I should get my acceptance speech ready for next year's Pulitzers after I win one for this review. No personality in this bland collection and nothing much about it to recommend.
  
  

• The Namesake: A Novel
• Unaccustomed Earth
• The God of Small Things
• Malgudi Days (Penguin Classics)
• A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club)