The Lowland

I read Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowland in 2015—a time when my life wasn't tainted by grief. Even then, I found myself mesmerized by the novel's depiction of the grieving process as a long-lasting curse that spreads its tentacles into all aspects of our lives.

Gauri, the protagonist of Lahiri's novel, loses her Naxalite husband to political violence. Although Gauri gains a second chance at happiness, her pain consumes her, and she constantly reinvents herself to escape its clutches, albeit at her family’s emotional expense.

In retrospect, I was impressed by the author's accurate portrayal of grief as a sort of… show more.

The mother. The mother, the mother, the mother. I just couldn’t get over the decisions the mother made in this story. They were right for her but completely wrong at the same time.

Even thinking back on this novel now, I feel so conflicted. Like, do I even like this character? But that’s the thing, isn’t it? You get so caught up in a novel and feel like it’s somehow a reflection of your personal life and values.

To be completely honest, so much of this novel mimicked what I was going through in my real life. It resonated in… show more.

Anything written by Lahiri is IT for me. She is the reason I wanted to write. She normalized storytelling that features Indian American characters, and this novel is nothing short of breathtaking.

While it doesn’t focus on the relationship between a biological father and daughter, the novel depicts the trials and tribulations between Subhash Mitra and his deceased brother’s daughter Bela, whom Subash raises as his own child. Their relationship is moving, at times gutwrenching, and ultimately, redemptive. I’d recommend this novel for a thousand reasons, one of which is Lahiri’s masterful portrayal of love, estrangement, and reconciliation between Subhash… show more.