Interpreter of Maladies - A Book Review

(8 of 2021)

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‘Interpreter of Maladies’ by Jhumpa Lahiri

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Some books are like a car crash, where you sit in the car, revv up the engine, speeding through the tortuous story climaxing in a resounding crash. This is not one of those. It reminds me of nostalgic train journeys, punctuated with passengers boarding and de-boarding, hawkers selling their wares, beggars, clown-faced circus troupes, garrulous aunties and card-playing uncles keeping you entertained, till your station arrives and you get down, bearing those trifling experiences with you for a long time. The door needs not to be knocked down every time for an entry into the heart.

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Interpreter of Maladies (1999) is a collection of nine short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and many other accolades. It is difficult to generalize but the life of Indian Diaspora abroad, especially the States, marriage and relations seem to the common thread running through most of the stories. Like all things beautiful, the characters are real and flawed. The portrayal of their lives and dilemmas is so detailed and graphic, that one loses track of time forgetting about the end. 

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The eponymous short story is a very entertaining tale of Mr Kapasi, who is a tour guide, language interpreter and works at a Clinic, interpreting the patients for the doctor. Where his innocent fantasies will tickle you, Mrs Sen in the story ‘Mrs Sen’s’, narrated through the eyes of little Eliot, will make you sad about the little frustrations and losses of his babysitter in a way you won’t be able to put your finger on. Read it for the beautifully crafted characters - silen Shobha, badly nostalgic Mrs Sen,  Boori Ma living in her opulent past, the vivacious yet relatable Twinkle or the centenarian Mrs Croft, who makes the narrator say ‘Splendid!’ every time she talks about the moon landing.

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Not hallucinating honestly, but the characters around me are telling me to highly recommend this book to you. As far as the rating goes, Mrs Croft is making me say it, so here goes - ‘Splendid!!’ (I hope you are happy now Mrs Croft)😅 

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PS - For all those facing a reader’s block, this is a perfect one to try.

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