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    Unaccustomed Earth
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    Unaccustomed Earth
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    Unaccustomed Earth
    Ebook386 pages7 hours

    Unaccustomed Earth

    By Jhumpa Lahiri

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Beginning in America, and spilling back over memories and generations to India, Unaccustomed Earth explores the heart of family life and the immigrant experience. Eight luminous stories - longer and richer than any Jhumpa Lahiri has yet written - take us from America to Europe, India and Thailand as they follow new lives forged in the wake of loss.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateAug 17, 2009
    ISBN9781408806814
    Unavailable
    Unaccustomed Earth
    Author

    Jhumpa Lahiri

    JHUMPA LAHIRI is the author of four works of fiction: Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth, and The Lowland; and a work of nonfiction, In Other Words. She has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize; the PEN/Hemingway Award; the PEN/Malamud Award; the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award; the Premio Gregor von Rezzori; the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature; a 2014 National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama; and the Premio Internazionale Viareggio-Versilia, for In altre parole.

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    Reviews for Unaccustomed Earth

    4/5

    1,508 ratings110 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this even more than The Namesake, which I loved.
    • 5/5
      The first thing that struck me about Unaccustomed Earth was how sad the stories all seemed. Though not really tragic, there seemed to be no happy endings in sight for any of these characters.There are strong themes of duty and obligation running through these stories. Parents deal with the difficulties of arranged marriages, adjusting to a new culture and children who seem more American than Bengali. Children are expected to live up to extremely high standards or cause their parents tremendous shame. They want to be truly American, to move away from the old-world traditions of the parents, yet they often seem to gravitate back, finding comfort in old ways. I found the same thread in Lahiri's earlier book, The Namesake.Full review is here.
    • 5/5
      I like this author’s writing style. Her prose is simple yet rich in detail. She has a way of revealing the inner most of her characters simply and effectively.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite authors. Her writing is so beautiful and real. She never disappoints.
    • 4/5
      This title of this book is taken from a quotation by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It speaks of it being important for children to have new birthplaces; to "strike their roots into unaccustomed earth". On the surface, Jhumpa Lahiri's collection of short stories seems to be just that. Each story follows the lives of first and second generation Bengali-Americans. However, there are other threads throughout the stories. Most are about immigrants from privileged backgrounds, that come to live in well-to-do Boston and Cambridge areas. Their children go to very good schools and go on to have very good careers. They also have families and grandchildren. With all that comes life and all its various problems. The book becomes less about immigrants and more about typical upper middle class people. People who also hide a lot about themselves and don't communicate as much as they should. Lahiri's writing is good, but most of her stories are very similar. It's hard to understand why so many stories about the same themes are needed in one collection. It's also a difficult book to relate to if you are too far removed from those who immigrated to America, aren't heterosexual, or not child-oriented. There are interesting ideas in the book, but after reading about privileged heterosexual after privileged heterosexual, it gets old. Most of the stories also end on a depressing note. I can't help feeling one just need go live in a wealthy suburb to understand Lahiri's work.
    • 4/5
      this has really changed my mind about jhumpa lahiri. i remember not particularly liking either of her two previous efforts, but after reading this book, which is done with such a deft touch, i may go back and re-read the other two. my favorite bit was the second "half," three related short stories told from different perspectives.
    • 3/5
      Powerful. There's no one like Jhumpa Lahiri to capture the immigrant experience, with its bittersweet longing and sorrow, of love and separation.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic short stories, by a master of the genre.
    • 4/5
      After reading the first two or three stories, I wasn't sure I would like this collection. In the end, I liked it quite well. In the first part of the book, I really didn't connect with any of the stories, but enjoyed the writing as always. In Part Two - Hema and Kashiuk, I felt like I was back to the type of story I really enjoy from Lahiri. I like the coming and going of contact between the characters, the sense of impending something and then the true connection between them when it is too late. A bit of a dramatic ending, but done so very well
    • 5/5
      Loved these stories. I don't read short stories often, but since I liked the Namesake, I decided to give these a try. And they are absolutely amazing. The author draws you in with stories that are complex and painful. The characters are multidimensional and relatable. I highly recommend this.
    • 4/5
      I thought I didn't like short stories. I was wrong. This book is lovely.
    • 5/5
      I set high expectations for this book, since Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my favorite authors, and I was not disappointed. This book is not about Bengali-Americans. It is about all Americans and, I conjecture, about all people. Lahiri has an uncanny ability to display daily emotions; emotions so small yet so significant that they shape our lives without our even knowing it. The fact that I, a white Californian 30 something can relate to her characters, from such an entirely different background than my own, show the omniscience of Lahiri's stories.
    • 5/5
      One heartbreaking story after another.... I wish I could give this more than 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. Mostly for the second part of this book. I always enjoy Lahiri's short stories, but I really enjoyed how the short stories in the 2nd part really intertwined. I didn't realize it at first, so it was a pleasant surprise. It has really been nice to read some quality writing where I didn't feel like I had to really put all of my energy into just finishing it.
    • 5/5
      I didn’t think Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake) could top her Pulitzer Prize-winning stories in The Interpreter of Maladies, but I believe she has done it. In this new collection she offers masterful pieces about relationships across generations and continents and the Indian experience at home and abroad. She is just so good at understanding and capturing human nature.
    • 5/5
      Unaccustomed Earth is a remarkable collection of stories. Even though Lahiri uses mostly her common themes (coming of age stories of immigrants and their children) the works have a little bit of something extra, a bit of danger in the case of a few stories, deeper and different relationships in others. I literally could not put this book down after I started it, with each story keeping me captivated through the pages. I would recommend this book to old fans of Lahiri's and to new readers--the stories are so powerful that they will keep you going, and possibly have you wishing for Lahiri's next work--like I am--by the end.
    • 5/5
      There has already been a plethora of praise heaped on Jhumpa Lahiri's fiction, and rightly so. I suspect that even years from now she will be recognized as the writer who most eloquently depicted the India-to-America immigrant experience. And the stories in her third book, UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, continue to document that phenomenon. Her emigrant characters ring true as fully realized human beings trying their best to make lives in a new and strange culture. And the first generation children of those people are equally challenged, torn between being faithful to the Indian traditions their parents try to instill in them and the desire to become fully American.My only problem with this book - and I should emphasize that it is MY problem - is that the characters from the eight stories herein began to run together and I found myself paging back and forth trying to figure out if I'd seen this character in a previous piece. And indeed, in the second part of the book, the viewpoints do shift between Hema and Kaushik, whose paths in life intersect periodically. I think perhaps the obvious answer to MY problem would have been to simply slow down and take some timeouts between stories. Which posed another problem: I couldn't wait to see what the next story would bring.But what the hell. Lahiri is simply a story teller of the first order, i.e. damn good. I'm looking forward now to reading her first book of stories, the one that got her the Pulitzer, and also the new novel, THE LOWLAND. This book? Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Lahiri once again focuses on the immigrant experience, specifically Bengalis living in New England or the Middle Atlantic states. Her stories are perfect snapshots of people’s lives. They are unique to their experience, yet universal in their reactions to what happens to them. Therefore, the reader, even though not of the same ethnic group, can easily identify with her characters. Who hasn’t suffered the loss of a loved one? Or been disappointed in love? Or questioned a career choice (or major field of study)? That she is able to speak so directly to her readers, transcending our differences, is a measure of her gift. Her writing is elegant, emotional, haunting, profound, distressing and beautiful.Sarita Choudhury and Ajay Naidu do a great job of reading these short stories for the audio book format. Their alternate performance follows Lahiri’s plan is using a female or a male narrator. I never had any trouble keeping the characters straight. This alternating voice was particularly helpful in the last three stories, which are linked, following two characters through several decades of their infrequently connected lives.
    • 5/5
      Lahiri's characters gain depth so quickly. Her stories read as if they were written effortlessly. The language is clear, the emotions ring true. The last three, glimpses of the same two characters at different ages and life circumstances, cap this incredibly rich collection of stories. As strong as The Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri's writing never fails to provide a rewarding reading experience. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Like her previous book Interpreter of Maladies she speaks of the American-Indian (mainly Bengali) experiences. It’s a collection of long-short stories. In this book what she writes is what life is like: meet with someone fall in love than pull apart. We marry with the wrong person and try to find love in some one else, but most of the time we stay silent because of family obligations.... Well it is nice book and with stay with you.
    • 4/5
      Another great collection of short stories from the author of Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies. Some of them were developed better than others and some characters a little on the flat side, but the language and sentiment won out in the end.
    • 4/5
      Cultures clash as families move from India to America. This book brings a great understanding of first generational men and women. We are all connected to each other; our past & our future.
    • 5/5
      Her stories are intricately woven and full of the sort of detail that puts you right into their living rooms, sharing cups of tea. I enjoyed all of the stories in the book.
    • 5/5
      Lahiri depicts the restraint of her characters perfectly and reveals to us the private desires that cause conflict with the traditions and expectations of Indian cultural and societal norms. But, by doing so, she redefines love and the inevitability of the sorrow it sometimes carries.

      She is a queen of dichotomy. Though her characters have inner strength that persist and drive them further into their stories, their strength is also what makes them the victims of their own helplessness.

      From Ruma’s father in his inability to share with his daughter, the acknowledgement of his feelings for another woman after the death of his wife. To Ruma, herself, who is unable to recover from her mother’s death, only to cope by denying herself a successful career and a rich relationship with her husband and son. The restraint in the relationship between “Baba” and Ruma contain within its silences and tension, a depth of love and feeling that can only be understood by grief, denial, and the need to protect those you love.

      The story of Pranab Chakraborty and Boudi and their unrequited love that evolved within the boundaries of family friendship, compatibility, and all that is lacking in the current marriage to another is a tight-lipped, repressed, and torturous story of one who carries the burden of secret love, while the other remains oblivious to his lover’s personal sacrifice and loss.

      The story of Amit and Megan shares the reality of a marriage that has reached its low season dented by babies and the monotony of routine. It also shows how people from the past can resurrect old feelings, yet reassure us that passion can still spring up from the loyalty and trust found in married love.

      The story of Sudha and Rahul speak of weakened family ties due to the powerful stronghold of addiction and the loss of relationship and trust that can occur when someone is held by the compulsion of a vice and old stereotypes.

      In the story of Sang, Paul, Farsouk, and Deidre, there is truth in the tangles of love, desire, and manipulation. It shows us of the compulsions we have against our better judgement and the inability to see clearly when we feel we are in love.

      Lastly, the story of Hema and Kaushik is a small novella that shares with us two opposing lives, which are drawn to each other by family ties and later by circumstance and/or fate. The drama of their passion and love, though restrained by the reality of other entanglements, seem inevitable and, yet, also seem inevitable to suffer a sad demise.

      Overall, I found the book, “Unaccustomed Earth” to be filled with good stories, though desolate and bleak. I was inspired by love, but disappointed by the failings of sometimes the characters or the outcome.

      Still, after reading the book, I yearned for the stories to continue; for the characters to continue on in their vignettes, if not to provide a glimpse to a more resilient hope of something better for the characters themselves, but also an affirmation that love and lovers actually do “conquer all.”

      Compared to Lahiri’s other works, this collection is darker and more sombre in its tone. Your heart will break, but insist in some way that this is the way it must be so.
    • 2/5
      The characters of Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth are Bengalis. They are Bengalis that emigrate to the United States. Specifically the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. They are Bengali emigrants who live out the seventies and the eighties raising kids in their Cambridge suburban upper-middle-class houses, except for the summers they visit Calcutta. They are Bengali men and women who had arranged marriages that turn out comfortable in their older age—the older age when their kids have grown up to do post-grad degrees in one of those East-Coast name universities and not understand them and date American people. But don't worry, the good ones will study respectable subjects, like classical literature or biochemistry at Harvard or Columbia or MIT (and date whitey), never accounting at Penn State (or date a Latino).But there is one greater similarity linking all the characters of Lahiri's short story collection. (And by “greater”, I mean this characterization would shove past the other mere demographic details mentioned above like it was the street-hockey champ on a hot August afternoon and the others were the neighborhood kids crowding the ice cream truck man with the last cherry popsicle.) They are resigned.And they all have these conflicts that are mostly minor, but exacerbated into these little mini-dramas thanks to the fact that everyone seems to suffer from Cannot-Just-Spit-It-Out Syndrome. (No communication majors among them, I suppose.) But why don’t they just “spit it out”, grow some metaphorical balls, and cop to the truth? It’s this resignation to their fates. Fates —happy or unhappy, but mostly unimaginative—tepid, inane fates more rigid than Lahiri’s little demographic bubbles, fates that feel like concrete tombs.It’s this rigidity, this weight, that makes Unaccustomed Earth feel dead on arrival. Which is a shame because there were times in the first half where little realistic descriptive touches –a rarity, and one of Lahiri’s strengths—inspired to believe the story might break out of the mold. But I’d learned better by the later stories… I knew how it’ll all end, I learned as well as the characters knew all along: how to go through the motions.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book, as I have all of Jhumpa Lahiri's books. I was wavering between 4 and 5 starts. As it is in any short story collection, some stories were better than others. The endings of some of the stories are what I struggled with a bit. When I got to the end of some of the stories, I would think, "that's it? it can't end there!" but then as i thought about it, i realized that is what i liked about the story, is that it did end there. it was more like life. conflicts aren't perfectly resolved or even resolved at all, people don't get over their own hangups, relationships are never perfect....but life goes on...and i guess that was the beauty of the book.
    • 5/5
      Short stories - very vivid writing, totally true to life, hard to put down.
    • 3/5
      Frankly, I have a love/hate relationship with Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection of short stories – Unaccustomed Earth. On the one hand, her lyrical writing style and subtle characterizations are absorbing. She brings to life the Indian-American immigrant lifestyle of New England as few other authors can. She leads us into a culture that is difficult for outsiders to understand. However, the stories themselves really fail to capture interest. They read more like the diary entries rather than a coherent, fully formed collection of stories. While I enjoyed certain stories, others left me with nothing. Taken as a whole, the book really didn’t deliver a conclusive journey in the vein of more powerful short story collections such as Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout (5-stars) and The Boat, by Nam Lee (4-stars). If you are interested in Indian immigrant culture and enjoy subtle character-based reads, this may very well provide you what you are looking for. But if you are looking for powerful storytelling, you need to look elsewhere.
    • 5/5
      This was the first book I have read by Lahiri. I was not disappointed in the least. It was a book of short stories, and usually I have never enjoyed them much, but this one takes the cake! I loved the heart felt stories and the feeling that you can almost see and feel what everyone was going through. Unforget able characters and stories, what else can really be said, except that I will be reading more by her.
    • 4/5
      Lahiri writes with a graceful simplicity of language and her narrative style is refreshingly uncomplicated. The themes of cross-cultural marriages, the issues faced by first- and second-generation immigrants in the West and, above all, familial and romantic relationships, should appeal to a wide variety of readers.