….And
another Ruskin Bond is born. Jhumpa Lahiri with her set of
stories about Boston, Bengal and Beyond, proves herself as an
wholesome and totally entertaining writer. Hailing from US of
A, this non- resident Indian reflects in her stories an Indian
sensibility which is remarkable. In the title story, the
interpreter of maladies is a man who is actually a tour guide,
but because of his bilingual prowess in Bengali and Gujarati
helps a Gujrati doctor in ‘interpreting the maladies’ of
the patients.
Writing about
unique individuals, there is one about Mrs. Sen who with her
husband is living in US but feels tremendously home-sick,
especially when he is away at work (pretty close to our own
lives ..huh?). The writer uses colorful yet simple language to
paint the characters of her stories. The first story touches
you from the word go! About a couple who move apart after the
wife delivers a stillborn baby, and how the situation changes
dramatically after an hour-long daily power-cut. It is easy to
give you a review of what to expect, but only the one who has
eaten the cake really knows its taste! As a true connoisseur
of literature, this is a must read book.
