The Namesake

By: Jhumpa Lahiri

Narrated by: Sarita Choudhury

The Namesake follows the Ganguli family through its journey from Calcutta to Cambridge to the Boston suburbs. Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli arrive in America at the end of the 1960s, shortly after their arranged marriage in Calcutta, in order for Ashoke to finish his engineering degree at MIT. Ashoke is forward-thinking, ready to enter into American culture if not fully at least with an open mind. His young bride is far less malleable. Isolated, desperately missing her large family back in India, she will never be at peace with this new world.

Soon after they arrive in Cambridge, their first child is born, a boy. According to Indian custom, the child will be given two names: an official name, to be bestowed by the great-grandmother, and a pet name to be used only by family. But the letter from India with the child's official name never arrives, and so the baby's parents decide on a pet name to use for the time being. Ashoke chooses a name that has particular significance for him: on a train trip back in India several years earlier, he had been reading a short story collection by one of his most beloved Russian writers, Nikolai Gogol, when the train derailed in the middle of the night, killing almost all the sleeping passengers onboard. Ashoke had stayed awake to read his Gogol, and he believes the book saved his life. His child will be known, then, as Gogol.

Lahiri brings her enormous powers of description to her first novel, infusing scene after scene with profound emotional depth. Condensed and controlled, The Namesake covers three decades and crosses continents, all the while zooming in at very precise moments on telling detail, sensory richness, and fine nuances of character.

©2003 Jhumpa Lahiri (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This production is a treat for the sheer combination of Lahiri's striking, often enchanting descriptions and Choudhury's graceful rendering of them." ( Publishers Weekly)
"This poignant treatment of the immigrant experience is a rich, stimulating fusion of authentic emotion, ironic observation, and revealing details." ( Library Journal)
"This is a fine novel from a superb writer." ( The Washington Post)
"An effortless and self-assured bildungsroman that more than delivers on the promise of... Interpreter of Maladies." ( Book Magazine)

Good... but not great.

Being a non-resident Indian myself lots of the content and description in this book really struck a familiar cord with me. The author did a good job of portraying the trials, tribulations, joys, and sorrows of an Indian family that moved to "Umrica." A good first effort (this is her first book right?). But she could have done more with the story -- with the plot. Without giving it all away it's basically just about an Indian couple that moves to the U.S. in their 20's, has two kids here, and then it follows through with the life of the first born -- a boy named Gogol -- till his 30's or so. Overall it was good but lacked a zeal that I felt when reading the books of two other favorite Indian authors of mine -- Manil Suri and Abraham Verghese -- now they are experts... really great story-tellers. All in all The Namesake is a good book -- I'll be on the lookout for an improved follow-up title by this author down the road.

Lacked depth

It is as if the story teller related the events to an encyclopedia writer. The facts are there, but I felt that the writing style lacked color and depth. There was so little detail, that much of the book felt like it was a plot summary of another book. Most conversations and events were boiled down to a couple of sentences about the topic, with few literary embellishments. This style covered the material efficiently which does allow the reader to "get it over with" quickly, which is a benefit if your only goal is to read this book as a school requirement. If you are reading for enjoyment though, a little more descriptivness might improve the story. There were some descriptions of cultural tensions, but on the whole, the lives of the characters were unremarkable with the normal ups and down of a lifetime of relationships.

Wonderfully written

Truly immersed myself in the story and felt the difference in cultural identities from immigrant generation to first generation.

Incredible writing, storytelling, great narration

This was such a great listen. Lahiri's storytelling style is incredible! she has a way of drawing you into each character or event (whether significant or not) and giving it nuance to make it all remarkable in some way. The narration is perfection - the best I've ever listened to.

Great book

A story I'll never forget. Definitely a must read for anyone in their early years of life.

Can't wait for the movie!

I loved the reader and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Indian culture and families. The story follows the life of the main character, Goggle (?) from childhood to adulthood, and his day to day struggles, which, although not terribly exciting, were terribly real. I can't wait for the movie.

Every ABCD Should Listen to This

I feel I have a greater understanding of my parents from reading this book and also myself. I found parts of my own life described in such great detail that it was almost scary. The details of my parents get-togethers at the Nights of Columbus, to our drives to Logan for our flights back to India, to sneaking into MIT parties as a high-school student...

It took me a while to listen to the second half after relating to the main character so closely throughout the first half . The turning point in the book occurred at a point in the character's life that I am at right now and prospect of dealing with what he had to is ... I really don't know how to express it.

After finishing this book I almost felt angry at Lahiri for leaving it at that. But I don't think this book was as much about closure as it was about understanding. This book is all to real to be considered fiction.

A

This was a great book--deserving of a "5". I reserve my "5" ratings only for the special book that comes along rarely! Beautifully written and read.

Beautiful

Beautifully written and beautifully read. I loved this book. I initially thought I had nothing in common with main character (which is fine, it is not something I look for in a book either way), but as the story unfolded I felt a real connection to him. I understood how he felt about things. All the characters were very real, very human. For me, it is a story about life in America, about family, about relationships, and about understanding the importance of one's roots.

Truthful storytelling

A compelling and truthful look at the complicated relationship inside an immigrant and first generation American family. What each member gains or loses when they done this identity and how they chose to navigate over the decades. Very touching.