INTERPRETER OF MALADIES

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE - PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD WINNER. With a new foreword by Domenico Starnone, this stunning debut collection flawlessly charts the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations.

With accomplished precision and gentle eloquence, Jhumpa Lahiri traces the crosscurrents set in motion when immigrants, expatriates, and their children arrive, quite literally, at a cultural divide.

A blackout forces a young Indian American couple to make confessions that unravel their tattered domestic peace. An Indian American girl recognizes her cultural identity during a Halloween celebration while the Pakastani civil war rages on television in the background. A latchkey kid with a single working mother finds affinity with a woman from Calcutta. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession.

Imbued with the sensual details of Indian culture, these stories speak with passion and wisdom to everyone who has ever felt like a foreigner. Like the interpreter of the title story, Lahiri translates between the strict traditions of her ancestors and a baffling new world.

BUY THE BOOK

208 pages

Average rating: 7.91

85 RATINGS

|

3 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

WritesinLA
Oct 31, 2024
8/10 stars
This book caught my attention while browsing the bookstore. I took a chance on it, and was captivated. This is a short story collection about the lives and relationships among Indian emigres, and Lahiri's writing is clear, uncluttered, but evocative. Her ability to create characters who come alive even using almost sparing language is a huge part of her talent. I'll look forward to reading more of her work.
Kristen5678
Jul 06, 2024
10/10 stars
As a general rule, I hate short stories. I find them frustrating because just as I am getting into a plot, falling in love with a character (or getting a good hate going), it's over! Well, this was no exception. Each one of these short stories has the makings of its own novel that I would be happy to read.

Indian culture is so rich and beautiful, albeit sometimes harsh. Lahiri invites the reader to immerse themselves in the culture, not holding anything back. She touches on everything from the partition of India, to arranged marriages, to immigrants making lives for themselves in America. It was a beautiful read.
E Clou
May 10, 2023
8/10 stars
I know this is a the Pulitzer Prize fiction winner for 2000, but let's pretend for a moment that I don't know that. I think this was a solid collection, but not quite up to 5 stars.

I think the short stories "A Temporary Matter" and "This Blessed House," which were both short stories about married couples were my favorite. I would have enjoyed reading more about either couple in a full-length novel, which is maybe more of a complaint than praise when it comes to short stories.

I also really liked "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar," which was a little messed up if you take a feminist reading of it, but real life isn't always very feminist either.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.