Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Name Sake

What I loved most about this book was that Lahiri's writing is simple, but somehow rich and poetic at the same time. She has a knack for setting events up gently, and making the follow through feel so impactful and emotional, even though her narration is very simple and straightforward.

I felt privileged to follow along with the Gangulis; to see how they learned and grew and created traditions all their own, to see how the learned to love, accept, respect and understand one another despite their very different individual journeys. The story wavered a little towards the very end, with

Moushumi's affair skewing the pacing a tad

but overall, this was a great read.

The title of this book is a little misleading. This isn't a book about embodying your namesake, or about the power of names. Instead it's a beautiful, emotional documentation of one family's journey in learning what home means to them, and in finding themselves. It's a book about one's relationship with family and culture, the struggles of being known, and of knowing yourself. I'm so glad I read this.

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Death (chapter 1), Transphobia (a single instance of a certain outdated term for transgender people, now considered a slur, Chapter 5), Death of a parent (chapter 7), Deadnaming (chapter 9), Infidelity (chapter 10), Adult/Minor relationship (chapter 10)

Content Warnings

dariad123's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Content Warnings

angie99's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Lathered in beautiful words that will sweep you off your feet, The Namesake is a journey about Bengali-American Gogol Ganguli who struggles to accept his Russian first name and his Indian heritage laced in American culture. Through a series of pleasant and tragic events targeting the root of his insecurities, Gogol's uncomfortable disposition about himself, and his family's customs, captures the painful, yet liberating, human expedition to self-realization within a diverse, complicated world. I recommend this to anyone interested in immersing themselves in another culture and who is looking to enjoy well-written, round, realistic characters.

Content Warnings

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