Thursday, May 22, 2008

Summer Reading

Hi All,Keep me updated if you read something great or even not so great. I'm half way through Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, my first desi writer in years. It's easy reading, very pat, not very daring, yet pleasing in a conventional kind of way. Lahiri is breaking the mold by showing characters that are assimilated and not struggling with it anymore. That is a step forward. Their struggles now are like that of any Tom, Dick, and Harry. The book is a compilation of short stories. They're all very detailed but leave me a little unsatisfied at the end. Like when you watch a cooking show all the way and you expect a great dish at the end, but end up with a nice dish just a little different from others of its kind. That's my take on it till now. But I'm still reading her, I guess I like it in a summer reading kind of way. Nothing challenging about it. Keep me posted about your reads too.
So I finished Unaccustomed Earth. And I think I'll stick to my earlier opinion. Great buildup but falls short at the end. Climax too quick and comes too late, and the falling action takes a few sentences- end of story. But to her credit I read the stories eagerly and enjoyed the last three more than the rest because there was a hint of greater satisfaction. That didn't come though. Lahiri is a good writer, smooth, but unoriginal- a fatal flaw for a writer.

7 comments:

Troy Camplin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Troy Camplin said...

I'm wondering if she feels unoriginal because the characters are assimilated. As you said, that's a major step for a writer like her. Perhaps her originalness thus lies in her unoriginality? Unoriginality from a Western perspective, anyway.

Sobia Khan said...

Hmnnn...there's something to be said for her originalness I guess. But her originality in showing comfort in assimilation showed the disappearance of authentic identity. And if that was her aim, the irony was not explored and not played upon. The lack of irony of the situation is irksome. For example in one of her stories, a brother falls off the wagon, becomes the drunken wayward son and the entire family throws him out of their life. Even when he tries to become a part of his family again, he is incapable of remaining in control. There is inherent irony in this that the family in assimilating has also assimilated the attitude of the new world towards wayward family members. But the family does not see it, the son does not see it, and we as the readers are not shown it to gratification.
I don't know something needs to give...maybe that is what she succeeds at, keeping the reader unsatiated despite her beautiful writing.

Troy Camplin said...

If you really want to give her the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she's being postmodern in not allowing you to be satisfied. I suspect that may be stretching it, though.

Perhaps she is writing knowing that her country(wo)men are reading her works and would get the irony without bashing you over the head with it, as the pomo writers do.

Sobia Khan said...

nah. I doubt it. I read her interviews and she says that she writes simple practical stories, which are a reflction of herself and her life. But who am I to criticize, atleast she's writing and getting published.

Troy Camplin said...

It seems there was the idea to have a blog here once upon a time.

I had a play performed at Dallas Hub Theatre at Cyberfest. "Almost Ithaciad" -- it won the PIA Award for the festival.

Also, my book, Diaphysics is now for sale.

Sajid Pervaiz said...

If you dont mind can i ask something about you? I want to ask that u r sobia khan (A famous punjabi stage actress) or other.