Saturday, December 27, 2014

The Lowlands by Jhumpa Lahiri, 2013

Having read Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel The Namesake, I picked up The Lowland even though the synopsis did not interest me too much.

I was not disappointed - Lahiri writes so simply and elegantly.  Her writing truly is poetic. 

There are no quotes to represent dialog; instead, you read the dialog like you are actually part of the conversation, listening to what is being said.

The Lowland tells the story of two brothers, Subhash and Udayan, growing up in India during the 1960s Naxalite movement, a Marxist and Maoist rebellion.

The brash, outspoken Udayan becomes wrapped up in the movement while Subhash decides to study in the United States.

The brothers will never meet again or talk honestly with each other, but their lives will become entwined.

Against his parents' wishes, Udayan marries Gauri, the sister of a friend, instead of allowing his parents to arrange his marriage.  The  married couple return to Tollygunge to live with Udayan's parents.

In Rhode Island, Sabhash continues his studies and settles into a routine, never feeling the urge to return home.  Only when there is a family emergency does Subhash return home to India, bringing a pregnant Gauri back to Rhode Island.

Through different view points and time periods, unspoken truths are revealed where Uduyan's political activities lead to a crime in which Gauri becomes complicit.  As a result, she is not able to confide in Subhash, even as they raise her daughter Bela together.

Every familial relationship is strained in this novel, as the sons make decisions irrespective of their parents' wishes.  Similar to The Namesake, the familial strain of making one's own decision instead of following tradition is captured so well (and poetically) by Lahiri.  

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