The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri
Houghton Mifflin, 2003
Reviewed by Janet Goldwasser
The Namesake tells the story of the Ganguli family: the parents, Ashoke
and Ashima, who move from Calcutta to America where their children, Gogol
and Sonia, are born and grow up. The story is centered on Gogol, their
first-born son and his conflict with his Indian-born parents, an issue
which is common to many immigrant families. The parents want the children
to fit in and be accepted in this new country, but at the same time they
want them to maintain their Indian heritage. Gogol wants to form his own
identity, separate from his family. But as an adult he never moves more
than a few hours train ride away from his parents' home in the Boston area.
Lahiri describes beautifully what it is like to be a stranger in a strange
land. Ashima, the mother, reflects on her situation:
"Being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong
pregnancy - a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out
of sorts. It is an ongoing responsibility, a parenthesis in what had once
been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous life has vanished,
replaced by something more complicated and demanding. Like pregnancy,
being a foreigner, Ashima believes, is something that elicits the same
curiosity from strangers, the same combination of pity and respect." (p.49)
In the early part of the book we get a sense of the taste and smells of an
Indian household. Since I was not familiar with Indian cooking, I went
on-line to find descriptions of the luchi, channa dal, rosingolla and
chanachur that were part of Ashima's cooking. I also printed out a map of
West Bengal so I could follow the journey from Calcutta to Jamshedpur that
Ashoke made as a young man. But you can enjoy the book even without these
"study aids".
The Namesake is engaging and well-written, though the latter part of the
book has less detail than the first and the plot ending was not entirely
satisfying.
3.5 to 4 stars (out of 5)
Movie review by Tom Peretti
I did not read the book; however I did enjoy the
movie and recommend it. After their arranged marriage, Ashoke and Ashima
Ganguli leave their home in Kolkata to begin a new life in 70's New York.
However, adopting a new country turns out to be as difficult a task for the
couple as naming their son. Settling on Gogol, after the famous Russian
author, it's not till years later that he questions both his name and
identity as a first generation American teenager. But will rejecting his
Bengali roots and the world his parents left behind, in favor of a white
girlfriend and Manhattan lifestyle, make Gogol as American as baseball,
apple pie and Chevrolet? The movie's thought-provoking screenplay
addresses this pertinent question, and does so at a leisurely pace. Through
the eyes of the director, the movie queries what makes an American family
in today's society. But it's the quiet love story between Gogol's parents
that really inspires and lifts this film. Both actor and actress are
outstanding in their portrayal of the young strangers who are brought
together by ancient tradition and grow old side by side, while trying to
make sense of their confusing contemporary world.