Book Review: The Lowland by Jumpa Lahiri

As much as I love Jumpa Lahiri's style of writing, I have come to recognize a pattern with her story telling. Its always about Indian immigrants living in America and spans a lifetime starting in India and ending in America. Their carefree, juvenile lives of about twenty something years in India dictating the rest of their lives in America, peeling away like layers of an onion but still carrying the essence of what they thought of themselves in India, carrying baggages for life. It is always emotionally draining and the ending is always morbid. Also, there is no escaping the melancholy of northeastern America's way of life in the colder months. 

The irony of the timing at which I read this book was when I was on my way to India for a vacation. In the plane I couldn't stop reading, was emotionally invested in every character and two thirds of the way into the book, I felt like the book was an emotional wringer and had to stop. It was clear that there was no possibility for a happy ending for any character. After a three week break, I finished the book on my way back from India just to get closure and felt relieved it finally ended. Another book that came to mind while reading this book was Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, which left me equally drained and felt like an utter waste of my time. Save yourself from the emotional roller coaster and give this book a miss. 

The next time I read another Lahiri book I want her eloquence and attention to detail to be applied to give me hope just like what I had when I left India. Tell me a tale of happiness, of how life will still thrive inspite of the change of location, dreams get altered and will fit into the new reality that has become a way of life now. Deep respect for the person I have evolved into. Just a story of resilience, achievement, satisfaction and gratitude for where I chose to live and what I have become. To reassert that moving to America is the best decision I have made for myself.