The Lowland

If you have never read anything by Jhumpa Lahiri, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that she is one of the greatest living writers. Her prose is beautiful, direct, and powerful, she creates interesting characters, and as one reviewer said she handles their lives "with both objectivity and compassion." Her latest novel The Lowland is certainly no exception. It is on the long list for both the Man Booker Prize and National Book Award and is deserving of either (or both).

The Lowland is definitely Lahiri's most ambitious work. It is an inter-generational tale set in both India and America. It begins with the friendship of two brothers. Subhash, the eldest, goes to America but returns to India when he learns what has happened to his brother. In the interest of not ruining the story's suspense and letting it unfold as it is meant to, I will say no more about the plotline. I was of course hypnotized by the writing but worried that I wouldn't love the novel when I began and it focused solely on the male characters. Lahiri creates such rich female characters and I worried that the novel was only about these two men. (It's not and she includes great female characters as well.) The novel begins slowly but picks up once Subhash returns to India. At times I couldn't put the book down, though as I neared the end I found myself almost not wanting to finish it so that I could stay with these characters a little longer. The novel has a very satisfying ending and I definitely recommend this beautiful novel.