The Namesake: A Novel

The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri is an amazing novel that describes the life of, Gogol, a second generation immigrant boy living in the United States. It very vividly describes the struggles of assimilating into American culture while still keeping his family's Indian traditions. He struggles with the meaning of his name and constantly feels that he is being judged by the name alone. Gogol does not seem to understand why he has to keep all of his Indian traditions alive. He is often embarrassed by his parents and the way that they act. He also has a hard time really finding out who he is and where he belongs. He craves the American lifestyle and attends Yale while dating many American girls. He is drawn to their free spirit and their lifestyle which is so different from the one he has always known. The author is very descriptive in her writing therefore allowing the reader to become completely immersed in the book. She uses he descriptions in such a way that one can actually feel how the characters are feeling in the novel. Being a second generation American myself, I found that I could really relate to a lot of the topics being covered in the book. I could relate with the struggle of identity as well as how sometimes it is very difficult for second generation Americans to relate with their own parents. This novel makes it very clear that even though there are many different immigrant families here in the United States we still all go through the same hardships in order to make it to where we want to be. Not only does the novel show Gogol's struggle but it also shows the struggle of a first generation immigrant through his mother. Gogol's mother has a very hard time adjusting to America. She misses everyone back home in India and that is something that I see in my own mother all of the time. The novel clearly depicts how there is always a constant struggle no matter how long one has been living in this country. I would definitely recommend this book because it is a very well written novel. It is a very moving and inspiration story that becomes very memorable. The language she uses to express her thoughts is very well crafted. Lahiri really has a way of making the reader want to keep turning the page

I have just finished "The Namesake" so all my impressions are fresh. As many other readers, I bought this book because I was impressed by Lahiri's short stories. This one, although obviously the author should try to do better with the novel form in future, is remarkable too. The story of Indian immigrant family, typical for second half of the 20th century and, in many ways, matching my own, which just started (scholars moving to the States thanks to their academic achievements and lured by career prospects, sinking into this "melting pot" and becoming a part of it) is emotionally charged so much that sometimes I had tears in my eyes. The parents, Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli, deal with detachment from their families and their world in India by incorporating parts of their old life and tradition into the American everyday reality, surrounding themselves with Bengali friends in the same situation, but their children, born in America, have a much greater problem with their identity. This is common to most of the immigrant children and more or less a generally known truth, but Lahiri describes the feelings of the main protagonist, the firstborn son of the Ganguli family, with extraordinary acuteness. The boy is named Gogol, after his father's favorite Russian writer, but Ashoke gives him this name not only as a tribute to the novelist. It is a memory of an important event in his life, he treats the name as a symbol, a sign. Gogol, however, hates his name and we go with him through the rebellion years, contesting the values of his family, trying the new ways, name change, falling in love with American girls (or more with their lifestyles), slowly and gradually getting to understand, accept and finally appreciate the Indian heritage and his parents (although there are many failures on the way). I was left with a profound feeling of melancholy and thoughtfulness. Formally, there are some uncomfortable shortcuts (especially towards the end of the novel) and the plot feels sometimes a bit awkward (I would like to make a more general remark here, namely that the new generation of authors who attended the Creative Writing courses has something in common, as if the rules they learn left on each of them the same mark, difficult to wash away and cover with the personality; it might be expected from beginners but surely must fade away if they do not want to be called beginners any more), but it is an interesting novel. I treat is as somewhat of an appetizer, a promise of the masterpieces yet to come from under Jhumpa Lahiri's pen.

I enjoyed this book from several perspectives. As a story, its characters were well-developed and sensitively drawn, and because they came from a culture different from mine, it expanded my understanding of the immigrant perspective: challenges and opportunities. As a writer myself (albeit nonfiction) I was also intrigued with Lahiri’s writing style. Her ability to bring a scene to life with myriad common details was fascinating and effective, and I was also interested in her Afterword statement that her writing style had changed a great deal. The book made me think about my parents, my upbringing, the factors and events that shaped me and my family. We will be discussing this book in our next book club gathering, and I found the discussion questions helpful and engaging.

THE NAMESAKE, by Jhumpa Lahiri, is a really engaging and intelligent look at the experiences of a young Bengali-American man, Nikhil "Gogol" Ganguli. It starts with a look at his parents' beginnings in the United States, living in a middle class town in Massachusatts, and adapting to the culture of the United States, while maintaining connections to their Bengali roots, in India. Prior to their union, Ashoke has a life-altering experience that changes his view of life and his possiblities in the world. He encounters another passenger who encourages him to see the world before he settles down with wife and children. It isn't until an unfortunate sequence of events, that he realizes that he can't take his life and time for granted. Their young son, Nikhil (or Googol, his petname) carries the legacy of his father's experience on the train, along with his faher's great love of the author Nicolai Googol's novels, in his name. I don't want to give away too many plot twists. I will say that this book was beautiful, descriptive, moving and intense. Lahiri has a real flair for storytelling and this is a book that really tells a very compelling and engaging account of one young man's experiences as an "ethnic Other," with a name that makes him stick out in society, as well as an identity that is scrutinized an often misunderstood by those outside of his immediate culture. In conclusion, I think that filmmaker Mira Nair did a marvelous job adapting this for the screen, and I was not disappointed. Yes, I read the book AFTER I watched the film. I reccomend both the film and the movie (in no particular order). I can see why this book was chosen as this month's "Seattle Reads" novel for May. I look forward to seeing Jhumpa speak at Seattle's Town Hall in just a couple of weeks time.............

Marring a woman you are not in love with, and having a name that isn't simply what people get your attention with, are not in the norm for the American folk. However for Bengali families that's the way of life. In the book "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri "Gogol" struggles with finding himself and what it means to be an Indian living in America. Despite the fact that his parents want to keep their Indian culture so firmly in their home, Gogol seems to want to be nothing but American. He finds himself doing things that are shameful and frowned upon even in the American society. For some reason he didn't like his name and so he changed it to something that isn't American; I didn't understand that. "Gogol" makes being American seem like a bad thing because the way he lived as an American man was disgraceful and wrong. Americans may not be as private as Indian people are about their love lives but they aren't like "Gogol" seems to think they are. The book is beautifully written and brings goose bumps to the skin at points. Lahiri explains the setting and the actions of the characters so thoroughly that at times I forgot I wasn't watching a movie, but reading instead. Although this book has important life lessons for any culture, I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. I think that Lahiri could have given "Nikhil" a happy ending instead of ending the book with everyone alone and isolated. I would recommend this book to older people that have lived a full life and yet don't know what it means to honestly appreciate your family and culture because without love then you having nothing. I think that that is what "Gogol" is missing throughout the entire book; love and friendship can bring any man happiness and a life worth living, but without them then there is no point.

With anything but the thickest of prose on many of the pages which are complete with the littlest of details, we traverse 30+ years of the life of the namesake -- a boy then a man) of Indian descent named Gogol who is born and raised in the educational affluence of New England. We learn that Gogol -- as different from us as most anyone -- lives through much of what we would think is experienced (or could be experienced) by anyone we know. Sometimes, I marvel at just how sharp a woman Lahiri is. She beautifully depicts a young man's thoughts, etc. Sometimes, I loved how she displayed his lack of emotions or inappropriate emotions -- and how they intruded upon his social life. Baby Gogol and Adult Gogol are sad -- they culminate to be the tragic character which would often have been the subject of his namesake -- Nikolav Gogol. Maybe sadder. He is like the Portnoy of the Indian clan. In a life of extraordinary achievement, he achieves little in family or other personal relationships over the span of 30+ years. He feels inconsequential in contrast to the famous writing career of Nikolav whose life spanned the same period of time as his own -- about 30 years. This is not the masterpiece of "Interpreter of Maladies." It is not -- in short -- another masterpiece. But, it is fun reading. Easy reading. The author deserved the Pulitzer for her "Interterpreter" and this book is not a work to which she should not also be proud. The end of the book is timed to equal the end of the life of the original to the name Gogol. In his 30's, we can only hope that the Namesake's life kickstarts out of the doldrums he experienced in his past and that he emerges to be a more complete human being. If I had to wager on this point, I would bet on the Namesake winning.

Lahiri’s prose is elegant and insightful, capturing the nuances of Gogol’s struggles with his unusual name, his dual identity, and the expectations placed upon him by his family and society. The novel moves seamlessly between the perspectives of Gogol and his parents, offering a rich, multi-layered narrative that resonates with readers on many levels. The themes of alienation, family ties, and the search for self are explored with sensitivity and depth, making The Namesake a deeply moving and thought-provoking read. The characters are well-developed and relatable, their journeys filled with moments of quiet introspection and profound realization.

It was and like accidentally catching a glimpse of your reflection on a shop window and seeing yourself through a stranger's eye