This is an excellent book of short stories; nevertheless, it reminds me why I don’t like short stories — I always want more! This one is unique, though, as (SPOILER ALERT:) there ultimately is a connecting thread to the stories at the end, which satisfied my “need to know!”
And as usual, Lahiri’s writing is beautiful. Her stories are a window into American-Indian culture, with the recurrent themes of traditional vs. modern, Indian vs. American, and arranged marriages vs. marriages for love. The writing is very descriptive and one can easily picture each scene as it plays out. Each character is built so lovingly that the reader has to know what happens and is personally affected by each outcome.
This is a great collection of stories — she could develop a whole book from each one… I wish she would!
kindread spirits 