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He does not want to be the quiet, obedient boy he's always been. Rebellion. The Ganguli family must learn to relate to each other, to overcome challenges, to accept each other's choices. Love. And yet, after all his trouble to disengage himself from the life he has grown up with, he begins to return to it after his father's death. He is Gogol Ganguli, child of Indian immigrants, and one who wishes to be as American as his birth certificate.
He seizes control of his own life at eighteen: he changes his name to Nikhil, and attempts to reinvent himself through college. He parties, he drinks, he has a few long-term and disastrous love affairs. He does not want his name. Ultimately, however, I found this to be a depressing book. Heritage. The search for an identity. Despite how hard he tries, Gogol seems to be running in the wrong direction, and by thirty he has made somewhat of a mess of his life.
He wants to be near his family again, and he starts dating a Bengali girl. He does not want to be a part of the Bengali traditions and parties and arranged marriages. The book provokes discussions and realizations about the difficulties faced by immigrants; it draws the reader into the heartache of living in two worlds and being a part of none of them. Their shared heritage is his only link to his father, and he returns to some of the Bengali ways and customs. The Namesake, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, is ultimately about family themes. It showcases the struggles of a family seeking to find where they belong and trying to adapt to the new culture around them, and it also displays the trying times that are a part of any family and will resonate with any reader. It's a starkly realistic book, which perhaps is not my taste anyway, but it does open the reader's eyes to cultural complexities.([.].)
Jhumpa Lahiri is an amazingly talented writer. The Namesake is beautifully written and flows perfectly. She does not draw out every little detail and yet every little detail is there. This is one of my favorite books because Lahiri is so gifted with the written word which makes the story so heartbreakingly perfect.
The Namesake is one of my favorite books. I related to this book in many ways as a daughter of a foreign born mother, not of Indian descent but there are similarities when a parent is of a different culture. The most deeply felt theme is of identity.
The main characters, Ashoke and Ashima and the beginnings of an arranged marriage are fascinating. Gogol dislikes his name and changes as soon as he can. The author writes prose that are lyrical and the words touch your heart.
They have a son Gogol, whom they name after the Russian writer. They come to America so the husband can finish his doctorate degree. The immigrant experiences, clash of cultures, conflicts of assimilation and then the tangle tof ties betwen generations are strong themes.
His father feels a connection to Gogol, the author as he feels reading the book saved his life. This is a thought provoking book on many levels and would be an excellent choice for a book club discussion.
Love this book - the story is beautifully told and the characters come alive. I could relate to the family's story - their struggles, happiness, and love for one another. Lahiri is a talented contemporary author.
Its a good read, I wanted the story to continue forever :)would love a sequel.
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