Roman Stories

Roman stories 

Author: Jhumpa Lahiri

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

#bookreview 

I am a certified Jhumpa Lahiri fan and her brand of short stories. 

Spoiler alert: 

But lately I am feeling dissatisfied. I find that her style and her stories are becoming a bit repetitive, her characters same old grey daily characters lacking personality. May be short stories tend to be about the situation than the people, and author spends less  time on them but more on the story progression. 

However I wish that her stories are more enchanting and connecting as she now evolves into this master storyteller from years of experience and expertise. Instead these stories seem like ‘Interpreter of Roman melodies’ similar to her earlier books but in a different language and setting. Sort of old vine in a new bottle. (Sorry if it sounds rude, but i don’t have your views on your chosen genre) But it’s still foreign like the Indian immigrant stories in the past so it’s still premium and niche. A life where people don’t worry about money, but their past and future, and write prose about it. 

‘To have the luxury to live life like an art.’ 

It seems like the stories are something she wrote while sitting at a plaza watching people and doing her Italian class homework. Her teachers must be greatly impressed on her command of language and story. To me it seems like an essay to write on what do you see in a prose! 

I did fall in love with the typical Bengali American immigrant fiction of her earlier days, which has been a top selling genre after her big wins and something of a comfort reading for someone like me who is all about the dilemma of belonging or not. 

Jhumpa, I can see that you are experimenting. 

These stories seem to be from someone who is watching the world from a two side mirror or a TV rather someone living there. A very expat experience than an immigrants experience which is as different as a rich and poor man’s version, or having the Roman experience rather than Roman life. 

I wonder when the author becomes bigger than their writing. It could be the curse of an author when you have exhausted your memories and inspirations in your first books and now people want something new. Probably this was not to be translated and is only meant for expats in Italy and just because of her universal personality the editors decided why not. 

I read and leave and get back to it not knowing if I have covered 50 or 5 pages with the book not wishing to move with me but at its own pace. Story after story seems same, and the plot seems same, where nothing is really helping other than the mind wandering of the narrator. 

The last 50 pages I could not even finish. It was slow and repetitive, dragging thru nameless characters. In the story ‘Steps’, I kept trying to keep track of the people and their mundane happenings. No one died but it seemed dark enough to assume that someone should. It was a nice try, to avoid chaos you made the story flow slow but instead you could have sharpened the characters which were the subject. Somehow the beauty of steps didn’t come out in the story. 

I had borrowed the copy from a friend and it was time to return. There is a certain timeline with borrowed books. My friend and I would definitely have a good discussion about it. 

Jhumpa do not write another book or an essay on a mundane topic like book covers - it was more of a blog or a podcast. I did enjoyed reading it and it gave me good ideas for my own cover design. I hope you do get involved in your book covers, you have the power to create art, pick artists, experiment and create iconic book covers. 

All the best, Jhumpa as you try to reinvent yourself. Eagerly waiting! 

 

Ps. I don’t think Jhumpa will read this but I have tried to be honest, but tell me if I need to be nicer.