Thought Train to Pusan

I finished listening to this audiobook (beautifully narrated by Sarita Choudhury) months ago, but couldn’t bring myself to write a review. And I’m not really sure why, because it’s not like I didn’t like this book. In fact, I loved it: it is one of my favourite books that I’ve read/listened to in quite some time. I’m also so sure that I’ve seen Mira Nair’s film adaptation of this novel at some point, and yet I can barely remember anything about it. Time for a revisiting, perhaps? The Namesake follows two generations of the Ganguli family, as they transition from a life in Calcutta to one as Americans. In the early stages of the novel, the focus is on Ashoke and Ashima, who soon after their arranged marriage move to Cambridge, Massachusetts for Ashoke to work. While Ashoke is quick to adapt to this new life, Ashima is resistant to her new home in America and yearns to return back to her life in Calcutta. After their son is born, however, the novel’s focus largely shifts to that of the