As a number of reviewers before me have commented Don't get this from Audible! I did it only because I needed to read it quickly for book club. It seems like this was originally published on cassette tapes and then uploaded to digital. There are strange breaks with music that are non-sensical. My only guess is these are the places where you had to switch out the cassettes. The narrator is not very good at changing voices, especially male voices.

This book is a collection of short stories about ordinary people, mostly Bengalis (Calcutta). Some are American immigrants living in Boston, while some of the stories take place in Bengal. Many of the stories are about mundane situations, but the author makes you care about the individuals.

4-stars for the stories. 2-stars for the Audible version.

Lost, left alone in a country not yours. With no one to call family. Being stranded in a place surrounded by people you can’t call your own, being looked at by disgust because you possess a color different to theirs. It’s not your choice, I’m your heart you do not feel different to the man sitting next to you on the metro having color several shades lighter than you. You breathe the same air, you came into this world the same way, you speak the same language. In truth you are able to speak several tongues, doesn’t that mean you are intellectual? Why do they look down you?

But not everyone’s like that. Some embrace you with open arms, they take you into their bosom, consider you friends, their own family. Some are too good to you, even more than your own family. But that’s a handful. Still you don’t feel as a part of this world. You ache within for your own country, the place you call your motherland. Motherland, even the word brings out emotions too strong to express in words. But you can’t turn back. Because you took that choice yourself, you can’t turn back, you cannot.

سومین کتاب ۴۰۲

خوشحالم که تموم شد. یک ماااه طول کشید تا ۹ تا داستان کوتاه رو بخونم!

Pulitzer Prize winner, Jhumpa Lahiri gives readers a glimpse into the world of immigrants from India and Pakistan. Many of these stories focus on relationships and marriage and the human desire for connection. We see faults and breakages that are difficult to wade through. We see snapshots of the experiences of immigrants and how different they are from a “regular” American. In “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”, a girl is curious about why he is Pakistani and not Indian. She has a school project on the American Revolution but stumbles upon a book about Pakistan and she is told to put it away because it is not relevant.

“A Temporary Matter” and “The Third and Final Continent” were the best two stories in my opinion. In the first, we see a young couple struggle while mourning their stillborn baby and in the second, we see a young man’s friendship with a 103-year-old woman who helps him to adjust to a new country and his new wife.

These stories were melancholic on the whole. They shed light on various themes of cultural differences with immigrants such as assimilation, loneliness, responsibility, and displacement of their cultures. This was a great introduction to Lahiri and I’m intrigued to read more.

بعد از چند سال که دوباره خواندمش انگار چیزهایی به کتاب اضافه شده و در این مدتی که کتاب توی کتابخانه‌ام بوده داستان‌ها مثل درخت رشد کرده‌اند و شاخ و برگ داده‌اند. همه‌شان داستان‌های معرکه‌ای هستند و می‌شود به تنهایی برای هر کدام یک تحلیل مفصل نوشت. عناصر داستانی به بهترین شکل ممکن به کار گرفته شده‌اند و درونمایه‌ی داستان‌ها هم در عین سادگی‌شان که نشات گرفته از احساسات انسانی و مسائل ساده‌ی زندگی هستند، داستان‌های کامل و عمیقی ساخته‌اند.
داستان «یک مسئله‌ی موقتی» داستان زن و مردی است که رابطه‌شان به دلایلی دچار سردی شده است. و مسئله‌ی موقتی قطع برق در چند ساعت از شب باعث می‌شود که آن‌ها هر کدام به نوعی با این مسئله برخورد کنند. داستان انگار قصه‌ی دو سرزمین است. سرزمین مرد و سرزمین زن. مرد تصورات خودش را دارد، نگاه زن، کلام گاه صمیمانه‌اش که بعد از ماه‌ها اتفاق می‌افتد و فشردن دستش توسط او، هر کدام مرد را به سوی برداشتی می‌کشاند اما خواننده نمی‌داند آن‌سو در مرزهای زن چه اتفاقی می‌افتد. نمی‌داند در دنیای زنی که بحرانی را پشت سر گذاشته –و یا شاید هم‌چنان درگیر آن است- چه می‌گذرد. مرد انگار که بازگشته باشد به سال‌ها، ماه‌ها و روزهای نخست رابطه‌شان اضطراب دلچسبی را احساس می‌کند. در طول روز مدام به این فکر می‌کند که چه بگوید، چطور رفتار کند، میز شام را چطور بچیند. در این داستان همه‌چیز سر جای خودش قرار دارد. نشانه‌ها خواننده را به‌سمت فضایی پیش می‌برند که در آن قضاوت بر سر آن‌چه پیش خواهد آمد، دشوار است اما تنها «چرایی» داستان نیست که موجب کشش آن می‌شود، تصویری که نویسنده از رابطه‌ی زخم‌آلود زن و مرد می‌دهد و «چگونگی» برخورد مرد و مهم‌تر از آن واکنش زن است که داستان را به اثری بی‌نقص تبدیل می‌کند.

A collection of short stories that focuses on the immigrant experience of Indian people, as well as a couple of stories that do take place in India.
Jhumpa Lahiri is a very polished writer- there is no denying that. I appreciate a short story that doesn’t leave me hanging at its conclusion and for the most part none of these did.

My favourites: A Temporary Matter, Interpreter of Maladies, Mrs. Sens and The Third and Final Continent.

The last two especially showed that yearning for home, that feeling of feeling different. Though these stories are all focused on one culture, I think anyone who has emigrated could identify with them. My parents came from Italy in the 1950’s. As a child, I remember my mother’s joy at receiving a letter from her mother, with news of home. I remember my father always saying that one day they would move back- they never did, but time takes away that urgency and desire.
The last story in the collection really showcases that journey of coming to terms with your new country.

“Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have travelled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination. “

Published: 1999

In Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri writes about the human experience across cultures. Most of the short stories include characters of Indian heritage, and all of them delve into the universal emotions of love, loss, grief, and hope. Her prose, while sometimes straightforward and sometimes lyrical, leaves a lot unsaid - in its concision lies its strength, because every word counts. Lahiri works in the perspective of the insider and the outsider, incorporating assimilation, stagnation, and the pros and cons of communication into her writing. The stories, while sharing some similarities, have a wide range of plots: from dysfunctional marriages to upset old ladies to illnesses that can only be cured by a man's love.

Out of all the stories in this collection I had the most massive fanboy freakouts over enjoyed "Interpreter of Maladies" and "Sexy" the most. The former speaks to how we romanticize our relationships and perceive people in certain ways for our own purposes. "Sexy," the latter, exemplifies how we engage in relationships with people we do not really know - it redefined the word "sexy" and articulated so many of my convoluted thoughts with eloquence and precision.

Overall, highly recommended for those who want to read standard-length short stories that explore themes of cultural assimilation and resistance, as well as human emotions such as desire and companionship. I look forward to reading more of Lahiri's work, especially her novel The Namesake.

97th book of 2020.

When one discusses the greatest short stories writers, there are names one always expects to hear: Chekhov, Saki, Mansfield... and the ones I always refer to: Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, Lucia Berlin, Jorge Luis Borges... And now I will add to that list Jhumpa Lahiri.

The stories in this collection and their ratings:

A Temporary Matter: 4
When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine: 5
Interpreter of Maladies: 5
A Real Durwan: 4
Sexy: 5
Mrs. Sen's: 4
This Blessed House: 4
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar: 3
The Third and Final Continent: 5

That final story I actually read several years ago and vowed to read the rest of the collection because it completely enthralled me, and I finished moved, and simply in awe of Lahiri's writing. Finally, I have read the collection; I cannot believe that some of her other stories are as good. Of course, this collection won the Pulitzer, and Lahiri became the first Indian to win a Pulitzer - but it shows. These stories are tied by the theme of Indians going to America, or vice versa. The book claims that it speaks to anyone who has ever felt like a 'foreigner' in their life. Which is everyone.

Part of me wants to just write out entire passages for this review to reflect how beautiful and concise her writing is. When a seven-year-old gives the definition of 'sexy' as being "loving someone you don't know because his father cheated on his mother and left. Where a pumpkin carving is ruined - What resulted was a disproportionately large hole the size of a lemon, so that our jack-o'-lantern wore an expression of placid astonishment, the eyebrows no longer fierce, floating in frozen surprise above a vacant, geometric gaze. When a boy is attacked by a monkey, which struck him repeatedly with the stick he had given to it earlier. A child's moment of insight about a man's daughters across the world, life, I realised, was being lived in Dacca first. I imagined Mr. Pirzada's daughters rising from sleep, tying ribbons in their hair, anticipating breakfast, preparing for school. Our meals, our actions, were only a shadow of what had already happened there, a lagging ghost of where Mr. Pirzada really belonged. And if I could, the whole of "The Third and Final Continent" which is, in my mind, one of the most essential short stories, the essence of everything a short story should have, a perfect example.

'Interpreter of Maladies' is a debut novel by the author Jhumpa Lahiri that won a Pulitzer Prize. It’s a collection of 9 short stories based on the experiences of Indian immigrants; some stories are set in India while others, abroad. The stories cover a wide range of themes ranging from marriage, family, cultural identity, social class, past, dreams, and hopes about the future, communication etc.

The language is simple, yet subtle. The emotions are not directly expressed but they are meant to be felt and interpreted from the writing itself. The stories possess a certain Indian-ness as we get a glimpse of Indian culture. What I loved about this book is that the characters are flawed and their emotions and experiences are portrayed very realistically. Each story is unique and revolves around the life of ordinary people. The writing transcends the boundary of culture to portray universal emotions of love, loss, hope which are relatable.

While I loved some of the stories, others, I did not care for much. At certain times, it was difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the characters and their story. I felt the stories start off great and have a nice build-up but they end abruptly, failing to reach that emotional crescendo I wanted. As a result, I was left disappointed.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed some of the stories which include:
The first story called ‘The temporary matter’ which is about a married couple struggling to deal with a tragic loss. It’s a beautiful story about coming to terms with the loss and moving on.
‘The Real Durwan’ is about Boori Ma, a gatekeeper, who lives in, and works as the caretaker of a middle-class apartment. This story gives a sad and accurate depiction of the class difference in India.
‘The Treatment of Bibi Haldar’ depicts the sad life of Bibi Haldar suffering from a mysterious illness who believes she’ll be cured by a man’s love. This story depicts the support and importance of community life.
‘The Third and Final Continent’ in which the narrator who’s an immigrant reminisce about the past and ponders upon the life he has created.

Overall, it’s a nice collection of short stories. The writing felt flat at times but some stories are very good. I’d love to give The Namesake a try and see if I’m wrong. This turned out to be a good read and now, I'm willing to read some good Indian literature.

This is one of the better collections of short stories I have read. The overarching theme is cultural displacement related to India. My two favorites are Sexy, which is about a romantic encounter that begins in a department store, and The Third and Final Continent, which follows a man from India who relocates to the UK and then to the US.

In Sexy, the main character gets carried away thinking she is getting involved in a fabulous romance. Let us just say her illusions are eventually brought back to reality. The Third and Final Continent is a poignant story that reflects the main character’s discomforts as he adapts to different cultures. It portrays how an eccentric centenarian helps the protagonist without even knowing how much of a difference she has made in his life. It had a big impact on me, and I was amazed that the author could pack so much poignancy into so few pages.

A Temporary Matter – 4 stars
When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine – 4
Interpreter of Maladies – 4
A Real Durwan – 2
Sexy - 5
Mrs. Sen’s – 3.5
This Blessed House – 3.5
The Treatment of Bibi Haldar – 3
The Third and Final Continent – 5

اصلا دوست نداشتم این کتاب رو! داستان های معمولی و بی سر و تهی که بیشتر خسته کننده بود تا جذاب یا حتی آموزنده
تنها نکته های مثبت کتاب این بود که فهمیدم ما چقدر خوش شانسیم که به جای هند تو ایران زندگی می کنیم و اینکه زندگی متاهلی ، کسل کننده تر از اون چیزی هست که همیشه فکرش رو می کردم
:))

به قدری از داستانهای این کتاب لذت بردم که وسوسه شدم از زن عموم بپیچونمش. ( خودم براش خریدم)
خدا اگر کمی انصاف داشته باشه، باید دزدهای کتاب رو به جای خنک‌تری از جهنم بفرسته یا اگر خیلی مهربون باشه میتونه مارو بفرسته به جای گرم و خشک‌تر بهشت. خلاصه کاش حساب مارو با بقیه دزدها یکی نکنه .
......
درباره خود کتاب هم که مجموعه ۹ داستان کوتاهه با تم فاصله. ( این کلمه رو از یه ریویوو کش رفتم) و راوی های داستانها در همه شون مهاجران بنگالی_هندی هستن .
خیلی خوبن آقا