The Namesake is a tender, moving account of an immigrant Indian
family's struggle to integrate with American life, while at the
same time respecting the traditions of Bengali culture. Focusing
primarily on the experiences of the American-born Gogol Ganguli,
the novel consists of a series of key moments - minutely observed,
delicately constructed episodes that force him to address questions
of loyalty and belonging. Gogol's unusual name, symbolic of
parental love, provides the over-arching theme that unites the
novel; it is a source of embarrassment, confusion and ultimately
pride. Lahiri's Pulitzer prize-winning skill as a short-story
writer is recognisable in her ability to capture atmosphere and
emotion concisely and often beautifully. With humour and sympathy,
she creates characters who must confront their fears and
inadequacies to have a chance of happiness, against a background of
three decades of American and Indian life. This is a wonderful,
entertaining story, brilliantly told. (Kirkus UK)
'The Namesake' is the story of a boy brought up Indian in America.
'When her grandmother learned of Ashima's pregnancy, she was
particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the family's first
sahib. And so Ashima and Ashoke have agreed to put off the decision
of what to name the baby until a letter comes...' For now, the
label on his hospital cot reads simply BABY BOY GANGULI. But as
time passes and still no letter arrives from India, American
bureaucracy takes over and demands that 'baby boy Ganguli' be given
a name. In a panic, his father decides to nickname him 'Gogol' -
after his favourite writer. Brought up as an Indian in suburban
America, Gogol Ganguli soon finds himself itching to cast off his
awkward name, just as he longs to leave behind the inherited values
of his Bengali parents. And so he sets off on his own path through
life, a path strewn with conflicting loyalties, love and loss...
Spanning three decades and crossing continents, Jhumpa Lahiri's
much-anticipated first novel is a triumph of humane story-telling.
Elegant, subtle and moving, 'The Namesake' is for everyone who
loved the clarity, sympathy and grace of Lahiri's Pulitzer
Prize-winning debut story collection, 'Interpreter of Maladies'.
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