The Namesake (2003) Jhumpa Lahiri Book Review

The Namesake (2003) Jhumpa Lahiri

Gogol. How does it sound? Well, this word might remind you of the number googol, perhaps Google. We know that christening a baby is one of the difficult tasks. And everyone one of us might have been consulted at least once in our life to help find a suitable one. Have we been successful? Most probably not? Why does naming matter so much? It matters because it is the primary identity that we have of a person in his absence and presence. It tells us his/her religion (caste perhaps), place of birth, social status, and so on.

In Jhumpa Lahiri’s Namesake we see the character Gogol, who likes to call himself Nikhil. His parents could not find a proper name for him after their confused immigration to the US and therefore this child with a weird name, symbolic of his dilemma, faces an upsurge of life forces that haunt him in a myriad way. The novel effortlessly weaves into this Bengali family’s efforts to assimilate into the foreign culture through two generations of people; Ashok – Ashima and Gogol – Sonia.

Besides discussing the cultural integration of the immigrant community the novel is also a beautiful tale of a family; how a loving father is trying to create some awesome moments for his family members, how a mother despite got uprooted from her dear Bengali culture sacrificing everything for the love of her husband and children and most importantly how Gogol, the central character rebelling against the vestiges of his native culture, desperately trying to assimilate into the life of a modern American.

The detached yet concerned narration of Lahiri is the primary thing that will help you read this beautiful novel. Those who are more acquainted with the Bengali culture might find it even more charming. NB: Read Gogol’s Overcoat. (I loved it, reminded me of Maupassant’s stories).