The Lowland

By: Jhumpa Lahiri

Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award Finalist
Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling author of The Namesake comes an extraordinary new novel, set in both India and America, that expands the scope and range of one of our most dazzling storytellers: a tale of two brothers bound by tragedy, a fiercely brilliant woman haunted by her past, a country torn by revolution, and a love that lasts long past death.

Born just fifteen months apart, Subhash and Udayan Mitra are inseparable brothers, one often mistaken for the other in the Calcutta neighborhood where they grow up. But they are also opposites, with gravely different futures ahead. It is the 1960s, and Udayan—charismatic and impulsive—finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty; he will give everything, risk all, for what he believes. Subhash, the dutiful son, does not share his brother’s political passion; he leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in a quiet, coastal corner of America.

But when Subhash learns what happened to his brother in the lowland outside their family’s home, he goes back to India, hoping to pick up the pieces of a shattered family, and to heal the wounds Udayan left behind—including those seared in the heart of his brother’s wife.

Masterly suspenseful, sweeping, piercingly intimate, The Lowland is a work of great beauty and complex emotion; an engrossing family saga and a story steeped in history that spans generations and geographies with seamless authenticity. It is Jhumpa Lahiri at the height of her considerable powers.

©2013 Jhumpa Lahiri (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Haunting... A novel that crosses generations, oceans, and the chasms within families... Lahiri’s skill is reflected not only in her restrained and lyric prose, but also in her moving forward chronological time while simultaneously unfolding memory, which does not fade in spite of the years. A formidable and beautiful book." (Publishers Weekly)

"An absolute triumph. Lahiri uses a gorgeously rendered Calcutta landscape to profound effect.... As shocking complexities tragedies, and revelations multiply, Lahiri astutely examines the psychological nuances of conviction, guilt, grief, marriage, and parenthood, and delicately but firmly dissects the moral conundrums inherent in violent revolution. Renowned for her exquisite prose and penetrating insights, Lahiri attains new heights of artistry - flawless transparency, immersive intimacy with characters and place - in her spellbinding fourth book and second novel. A magnificent, universal, and indelible work of literature... Lahiri’s standing increases with each book, and this is her most compelling yet." (Donna Seaman, Booklist)

“Compelling . . . beautiful. A family saga that finds its roots in a 1967 Calcutta rebellion [but] extends its reach to present-day Rhode Island. The long-awaited follow-up to her ravishing first novel, The Namesake, justifies its lengthy gestation. The story develops like a rip in a piece of fabric that keeps tearing: a gripping meditation on absence, alienation and loss . . . Exquisitely written and deeply moving.” (Sophie Harris, Time Out New York)

A passage throughout life

Loved the book and the narrator. Transformed me to a world that was not familiar to me and I learn to live their life.
Great story telling.

Narration

Believable, love this authors work. Like how characters intertwined in the story. Good transition throughout.

My least favorite of all her work.

What did you like best about The Lowland? What did you like least?

Maybe because I'm such a fan of her other work, I am more critical, but I thought this book was a bust.

I thought the characters were really dull and not fleshed out well. I certainly didn't sympathize with them, nor did I care what happened to them. I didn't get a good sense of their motivation for the choices they made- and overall it was just dull. That's the best I can say.

If you want to read Lahiri, I suggest starting with something else- if I had read this first, I wouldn't have gone back for any more.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jhumpa Lahiri again?

Sure- The Namesake is a masterpiece and 10x better.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Sunil Malhotra?

Yes, I thought he did a nice job.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

There was a moment where a character goes through a big shift (sorry I don't want to write out a big spoiler, but it's about 3/4 way through and you'll know it when you hear it), and it was just so out of left field and silly, all I could do was roll my eyes. Usually Jhumpa Lahiri's characters are so complex, and through her writing you really understand them- good and bad. But here- it was like reading about a family of paper dolls. Flat and dimension-less.

Excellent story and writing.

Loved the story. So rich and well written. Sad but very interesting. One never forgets home.

beautifully written, terribly sad

Yhe performance was excellent, but the story nelver seemed to have a light moment. It took me longer to finish than usual because it moved me but in a sad way.

Superb!

Incredible story told eloquently. The interweaving of personal stories and history is artfully done. I feel as if I've just left a world I poured my emotions into and didn't want to leave.

Still a better short story writer than novelist

I love Jhumpa Lahiri's short fiction and think her collections, UNACCUSTOMED EARTH and INTERPRETER OF MALADIES are among the most enjoyable books I've read in recent years. I really looked forward to the publication of this book but was disappointed. I don't think she is as masterful in the novel as she is in the short story. I felt much of this book struggled to extend itself into a novel when it would have been better as a novella. I didn't find the characterization believable or convincing, and I felt the story dragged on long after I felt it should have been over.

Still, I read most of the book with gusto and eagerly went back to the story each time I had a chance - but having purchased the kindle version I was just as happy to read the book in kindle form as to listen - I didn't look forward to the narration as much as I usually do. It certainly didn't add to the book, and may even have detracted from it. The narrator reads clearly, but doesn't really bring anything engaging to the audio.

no emotional connection

book was alright and I did finish it, but I never felt like it was a part of me. I had no problem stopping the book to take care of another task.

Amazing story and presentation!

I started reading this on Kindle but decided to switch to listening to it on audible.com when I was running short of time. I'm so glad I did! Sunil Malhotra's performance is outstanding, bringing to life both the superbly-developed characters and the lyrical prose. This is the first of Ms. Lahiri's novels that I have read, but I will definitely look for others!

A moving story, crossing generations

What did you like best about this story?

I think one of the things I like best about the story is how the author used the different characters to take in different parts of the world and different parts of life. Although Shubash is arguably the central point of the story, each of the other characters (Bela, Gauri, etc) all show their perspectives and their realities. The way these narratives are woven together to form a complete story of a family is both beautiful and powerful.

What about Sunil Malhotra’s performance did you like?

Malhotra did a very solid job with making sure each of the characters had a distinct voice and you got a sense between the American born and the Indian born characters. My one criticism is that the voices he chose for some of the female American born characters were very close to each other. Over all though, he did a very good job at making each of the characters a distinct presence.

Any additional comments?

Much like "The Namesake", this is a story that spans generations. However, it feels a bit like a novel by Amitav Ghosh as Lahiri brought in more specific historic events (the Naxalite uprising, the Vietnam War, etc) to root this story. As a fan of Ghosh and his style of writing, I thought the attention to the historic details excellent.