The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Devastation in the Lowland
This
is a tough one to tell you about because I don’t want to give away an important
portion of the book that the plot hinges on. So, I’ll just say this. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri about
two people drawn together by tragedy and bound by obligation and a secret. It’s about struggling through loss and searching for individual fulfillment, love, and happiness. It’s about a balance of Indian and American
cultures. It’s about the opposite forces
of freedom versus commitment. Clear as mud, right?
Hmmm.
Maybe this will help.
It's the 1960s in India. Two brothers are extremely intelligent, but take different roads in life. Udayan becomes a ********. Meanwhile, his brother, Subhash, goes to ******* to ****. In one letter he learns that Udayan booted traditions and snubbed his family. To the shock of his parents, he ****** on his own, which is frowned upon, but the greater shock is yet to come. A horrifying incident in the lowland brings Subhash back to India, and soon in an act of kindness he ****** his brother’s ***** who is *********. And that’s the beginning of a new life for all of them. Getting the picture, now?
It's the 1960s in India. Two brothers are extremely intelligent, but take different roads in life. Udayan becomes a ********. Meanwhile, his brother, Subhash, goes to ******* to ****. In one letter he learns that Udayan booted traditions and snubbed his family. To the shock of his parents, he ****** on his own, which is frowned upon, but the greater shock is yet to come. A horrifying incident in the lowland brings Subhash back to India, and soon in an act of kindness he ****** his brother’s ***** who is *********. And that’s the beginning of a new life for all of them. Getting the picture, now?
What
I can clearly tell you is that I liked this book. I was especially interested in the Indian
culture, history and traditions. It was also thought-provoking to see how the
secret played out, the different actions and consequences resulting from
Subhash’s burden/joy.
As a
side note, President Obama had this book on his summer reading list in 2015, which is what actually drew me to it.
Silly, considering that the true merit is the rumble this book caused in
its own right. It was a national best seller and shortlisted for the Man Booker
Prize.
For those of
you who are just as curious as me, here are the
top five summer reads for President Obama in 2015:
• -All The Light We Cannot See by
Anthony Doerr
• -The Sixth Extinction by
Elizabeth Kolbert
• -The Lowland by
Jhumpa Lahiri
• -Between the World and Me by
Ta-Nehisi Coates
• -Washington: A Life by
Ron Chernow
The top five summer reads for President Obama
in 2016 were:
- Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
- The Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins
- Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
- Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
- The Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins
- Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Happy
Reading,
Annette
Comments
I didn't know President Obama had a reading list, I loved both his books (The Audacity of Hope and Dreams From my Father) and have also read some of the books on his list, and others are on my wishlist. What a wonderful guy he is. I think we will all miss him a lot.
Have a good weekend,
Marianne from
Let's Read