Review: Interpreter of Maladies

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok I'm pretty embarrassed. I started reading this book and found myself really enjoying the first couple stories. In fact, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them. So I started wondering why I was so surprised, and tried to remember what I had thought of previous Lahiri books. Only then did I realize this is my first Jhumpa Lahiri book. 

I've been calling myself a fan of hers for a while, ever since I heard her interview with Tyler Cowen, and read about how she moved to Italy, learned Italian, translated Starnone's "I Lacci" into English (which I then read), and then wrote her own novel in Italian, which she also then translated (and I have yet to read). 

But this is the first original work of hers that I have read. Usually short stories are always hit or miss for me, but I must say these were pretty much all hits. If I had to pick, I'd say my favorites were:

When Mr. Pirzada came to dine

Interpreter of Maladies

Mrs. Sen's

The Treatment of Bibi Haldar

The Third and Final Continent

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Review: The Last Dickens

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was sort of a let-down, but I'm really not sure how it could have improved. It's a mystery, but also a historical novel. For some reason, these two genres seem to often be in conflict. A mystery should be quick-paced, leaving the reader with cliff-hangers and wanting to know more, while a historical novel often delves into life in a certain place at a certain time, creating the atmosphere for that locale, which takes time. So these two things often don't go hand in hand (I've rarely seen it work well, as with Umberto Eco).

Anyway, all that was to say that this novel seemed disjointed. Some exhilarating action, followed by a deep dive into 19th century Boston, or the publishing industry during Dickensian times. I enjoy all of these, but they didn't really seem to mesh. Add some scenes in India that add absolutely nothing to the story, and it is rather frustrating.

Having said that, it did make me very curious about The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I remember, as a kid, seeing the play of Edwin Drood at a theater in Cape Cod. I knew nothing of it ahead of time, and halfway through the performance the actors came out, saying that Dickens never finished the novel, so the audience would vote on the final outcome. I don't remember what we voted for, but I do remember being frustrated there too.

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