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Interpreter of Maladies: Stories | 
 enlarge | Author: Jumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy Used: $15.67
You Save: $14.28 (48%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  463 reviews
Sales Rank: 750720
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 312
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.7 x 1
ISBN: 0786264349
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780786264346
ASIN: 0786264349
Publication Date: 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ex. library book with a couple of stamps and marks. Minor cover wear, pages clean. 2178
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Amazon.com
Mr. Kapasi, the protagonist of Jhumpa Lahiri's title story, would certainly have his work cut out for him if he were forced to interpret the maladies of all the characters in this eloquent debut collection. Take, for example, Shoba and Shukumar, the young couple in "A Temporary Matter" whose marriage is crumbling in the wake of a stillborn child. Or Miranda in "Sexy," who is involved in a hopeless affair with a married man. But Mr. Kapasi has problems enough of his own; in addition to his regular job working as an interpreter for a doctor who does not speak his patients' language, he also drives tourists to local sites of interest. His fare on this particular day is Mr. and Mrs. Das--first-generation Americans of Indian descent--and their children. During the course of the afternoon, Mr. Kapasi becomes enamored of Mrs. Das and then becomes her unwilling confidant when she reads too much into his profession. "I told you because of your talents," she informs him after divulging a startling secret. I'm tired of feeling so terrible all the time. Eight years, Mr. Kapasi, I've been in pain eight years. I was hoping you could help me feel better; say the right thing. Suggest some kind of remedy. Of course, Mr. Kapasi has no cure for what ails Mrs. Das--or himself. Lahiri's subtle, bittersweet ending is characteristic of the collection as a whole. Some of these nine tales are set in India, others in the United States, and most concern characters of Indian heritage. Yet the situations Lahiri's people face, from unhappy marriages to civil war, transcend ethnicity. As the narrator of the last story, "The Third and Final Continent," comments: "There are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept." In that single line Jhumpa Lahiri sums up a universal experience, one that applies to all who have grown up, left home, fallen in or out of love, and, above all, experienced what it means to be a foreigner, even within one's own family. --Alix Wilber
Product Description
A New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award
Notable Book of the Year: The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, and Publishers Weekly The nine stories in this stunning debut collection unerringly chart the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations. 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 458 more reviews...
 It Gets Better As You Read It September 5, 2008
Interpreter of Maladies
I was interested in Jhumpa Lahiri's books because I read some good reviews of them. I also like books about different cultures. At first, I was dissabpointed in these stories. I liked the way she developed the characters and the settings, but the first several stories seemed too tragic. At the end, we were left with little sense of hope for the character's future. The later two or three stories in the book are better. The give you a sense of the lives of the people and also the reader gets a sense that things are not perfect, but there is at least a chance that the character will find some happiness. I would reccommend this book just for the fascinating writing style and character development.
 One of the best books I've ever read August 16, 2008
To give a frame of reference, some of my favorite authors are Margaret Atwood and Barbara Kingsolver. I have searched and searched for another introspective, intelligent, strong female voice, and finally I have found it. I plan on buying every one of her books and keeping them forever. In this book alone, my wisdom cache has increased, certainly the mark of a great book.
Excellent collection of stories August 5, 2008
This is one of the best collections of short stories that I have read. Many of her characters stayed with me long after I finished the book. I also enjoyed "The Namesake" and can't wait to read her latest book.
Lovely stories July 30, 2008
I'm a fan of Lahiri's and enjoyed Namesake as well. Check it out for yourself and I'm sure you will agree. I too am tired of reading stories of the "Indianness" of being Indian. So as an Indian I appreciate this.
Dark and macabre July 17, 2008
The book was very well written, but I found it to be a little too dark and macabre for my tastes - not exactly something you'd want to curl up and sink into...
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