Yesterday my hands were literally ITCHING because they didn't have the new Jhumpa Lahiri book Unaccustomed Earth in them. While I've been a read-a-holic for years, I only recently got into short fiction and this author is one of the main reasons. I've been a groupie of hers every since I read the first short story in 'Interpreter of Maladies' called A Temporary Matter. She packed everything that is beautiful and moving about a story into a few short pages and at the end, had me wanting to reach through the pages and hug both the main characters. On one of NPR StoryCorps sessions, one woman said, referring to the end of her marriage, 'there are no villians here, just humans.' This is what comes to mind when I read Jhumpa Lahiri's work, she makes you see the human side of every character.
One of the main themes that runs through her work is identity with most of her characters being American-raised children of expatriate Indians, characters caught between their own world in the States and that of their parents and heritage. Having grown up and lived in many places, I totally relate to this feeling of in-between that her characters live with. According to all the glowing reviews, these are still the main subjects that she brings to light in her new book and is yet another reason why I can't wait to get my hands on this book!
P.S. Just to give you a taste of what you can expect from this writer, you can just click here to read the entire story of A Temporary Matter courtesy of those wonderful New York Times folks.
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