The Lowland

Jhumpa Lahiri's latest novel, The Lowland (2013), has been published to her usual great acclaim: shortlisted for the Booker and National Book Award. Although, there is much to like here, it isn't as compelling as her short fiction. Perhaps some of this has to do with the scope of the story, in which about 70 years between characters is condensed in 340 pages. Perhaps, it also has something to do with the characters themselves who make momentous life decision which they do not really questions nor go back on the paths they have set out for themselves, which makes me wonder if people are really that intractable. I find them hard to relate to. On the other hand, I like how Lahiri integrated real aspects from India's history where one, Udayan, of the two brothers (the other is the more moderate who starts as the protagonist of the novel), is a member of a the radical Naxalite movement. Essentially, I find this novel more contrived than her short stories, despite the easy narrative flow of the novel with themes about family, history, and identity.