Unaccustomed Earth

Lahiri's skilled writing is transparent; words simply melt on your brain!
However, the sameness of her characters is boring. I could skip pages and didn't feel if I missed anything. To describe her book an imagery of a surgical room came before me: The operation room is ready for Dr.C.., Bengali doctor's skillful surgery. He enters with no expression on his face. He checks the gleaming surgical tools. Nurses become silent and steady their masks. He nods, pulling the mask over his face. The lights are on; patient lay motionless but fearless. Dr. C lifts the sheet and skillfully removes the band-aid from the patient's knee...

This review is a result of the audio book version which is highly recommended. The stories in this collection are excellent and each one is so poignant.

All of the stories are about Bengali people (individuals and families) who have immigrated to the United States. Each story deals with real life issues involving parents, siblings and lovers, and such topics as death, loss and longing across two cultures.

Ms. Lahari continues to create strong characters who stay with readers after the story has ended. I have read all of her books and this one does not disappoint.

This book is written in Indian 3D version. You are there in every scene and you can guess where they are going, so plain and captured so well. The style is unique and when you get deeper the characters come alive. The stories are precious and there is nothing short about them
Hema and Kaushik could end up on the wide screen and you know movie makers will eat it up like the Titanic- Begin with a Tsunami and the flashback.
I can hardly wait for the next work and of course the movie

Ravikrishnan

Jhumpa is a wonderful writer, I absolutely loved both Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccostomed Earth. Can't wait for the next book. Thanks!

For those who have already read Ms. Lahiri's stories before and would like to have more of the same (trials and tribulations of Indian immigrants in a new country)this is a perfect sequel. Apart from that, it is a lovely book to read too that I enjoyed every bit. However, as Ms Lahiri shows great talent as a writer the next time she comes out with her new work I am really hoping that she branches out a bit and tries her hand at something not necessarily pulled from that same source. I am even interested in the trials of tribulations of Indians who go back to India after 30 yrs in the US and trying to adapt back to what they thought they left behind and found that they are now immigrants in their home country.