The Namesake

"The Namesake" by 'Jhumpa Lahiri' is simple yet extraordinary tale of an Indian bengali family, who has immigrated and settled in America. This book portrays the two generation's thought process, the difference and similarities between them, hardships of people who changed their nation. It also deals with many emotional aspects too like the craving for homeland, love, marriage, failing relationships etc. but the main theme of the book was identity and naming of the the protagonist. Ashoke Ganguli an intelligent young man was married to Ashima who is shown as an homemaker. They shifted in America just after their marriage. Ashoke being a working man got busy in his schedule and Ashima was left back, she crept to go her homeland. Though after sometime she started getting use to her life. The book opens with her pregnancy scene, she gave birth to a boy. Through her pregnancy journey to her labour pain ward she was shown comparing the particular place where they lived to India, which shows that she hasn't completely embraced US yet. And this isn't the end, throughout the book she has been shown comparing the nation where she lived to where she belonged. Her love and respect towards her homeland is something next level which will give a reader a jolt of rapture. Ashima and Ashoke though they have moved to abroad but they haven't forgotten their roots which is seen in the first half of the book itself. When their first child was born they were waiting for their grandmother's letter which has their child's name. Unfortunately the letter was lost and in an emergency they had to choose their child's name, 'Gogol'. And this very name gives turn to the story. Hereby this is the central theme of the book. The importance of this name in Ashoke's life discussed in the book is another interesting plot. Years later when Gogol grew up he was ashamed of his name and changed his name to 'Nikhil' and was happy with that until he came to know the importance of 'Gogol' in his father's life. He led his life the way he desired. He wasn't very fond of Indian culture and ritual. He found it extraordinary which made him try to escape from them. Later he learns through his hardships and failure what exactly life is about. Though it was too late for it. (It's a freaking human tendency we never care what we have) This book was a heart warming roller coaster ride for me. The plot was gripping, themes and characters were great and the most beautiful thing was the way it was presented. There will be several points in the book which will teach you good life lessons while reading this, like how we take our parents or loved ones for granted, another thing was we should never ever forget our roots where we come from, our identity cause that's what matter and many more things. In short it was a wholesome read. I would recommend this book to each and everyone out there. You won't regret even for a second once you start this masterpiece.

Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Die Sprache ist sehr gepflegt, die Beobachtungen feinfühlig, die Erzählung angenehm. Es passiert nicht viel in dem Buch, aber trotzdem kann man den Held der Geschichte, Gogol, sehr gut verstehen.

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

映画もあるけどこの原作読むべきです。 帰国子女や帰化した人間にはその寄る辺のなさ、自分のあり方の不安定さがわかり、少し苦しくなるはず。 北米と日本で場所に違いはあれど、僕たちの気持ちの行方を少し考える機会になりました。

Libro ben scritto con una trama coinvolgente. Mi è piaciuto molto l’excursus storico della vita dei protagonisti e la fusione tra la cultura della loro famiglia con quella americana. Unico tasto dolente è la collana del libro, come un altro che ho, dopo poche pagine di lettura hanno iniziato a staccarsi le pagine... no comment!