#CBR13 Review #10: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

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 son, who they call Gogol, and how he understands himself and finds his identity as a first generation American, entangled in ways of two different cultures and trying to find where he fits within. In particular, Gogol’s understanding of his name (the meaning and traditions behind it) become a huge factor in how he understands himself, his father, and his family across the years. 

While this may all sound so simple, this novel was so rich in feeling, exploration, and intimacy: from examining clashing loyalties, expectations from family, the parts we choose to show and the parts we choose to hide in our relationships, the power of names and how we understand ourselves, and so much more. Although packed full of emotion and power, it felt like the audiobook was delivered in such a tender and meaningful way. And even though I myself haven’t had and never will have many of the experiences within the novel, I still felt deeply connected with the characters and the story. It was like moments of peaceful reflection of a personal being shared, but with an open end that says, "the journey inside us is ongoing: there is no clear destination."

Which is all to say (again), I really loved this book.

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