The Namesake: Book Review
by Shaista Soroya
Divanee Rating: 4.5/5

In her latest novel, The Namesake, Jhumpha Lahiri takes us through the first generation desi American experience. Lahiri, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her book Interpreter Of Maladies, illustrates the usual circumstances that would emerge in a first generation desi-American family.

Lahiri’s novel about a Bengali family in America in the late 60’s starts off with the birth of Gogol Ganguli. Gogol, initially a temporary name, was named after his father’s favorite Russian author. Gogol, as culture dictates, was originally supposed to be named by an elder in the family, in his case, his grandmother. The letter from his grandmother, lost somewhere between Calcutta and Cambridge, never arrives. Gogol remains Gogol.

Gogol’s parents try to raise their children with Indian culture and customs while their children have a hard time relating to their heritage. We follow Gogol in his quest to find his identity. He starts by searching for the meaning of his name and wonders why his name is so different, neither Indian or American.

As Gogol matures, he changes his name and explores various relationships with women. He compares the desi culture he grew up with to the American Dream. Gogol is torn between being both Indian and American. Love and affection, so openly displayed between a woman and man in the home of his fellow Americans, are foreign concepts in the home he grew up in.

Does Gogol’s name change transform him into someone else? While Gogel manages to temporally escape from the conflicting puzzle of his life, he ends up finding himself in a more complicated dilemma. This dilemma forces Gogol to confront the conflict of being torn between the two cultures. Gogol’s struggle for his identity make him a symbol for those of us who try to maintain a cultural duality.

Accept Jhumpa Lahiri’s invitation in being a part of the Ganguli family. One can learn, live and relive the desi-American experience in Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake.