A review by lsaligmander
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

4.0

One of the realizations I've come to recently is that there is often one experience in childhood or adolescence which tends to shape people's lives and worldview. I think the reason why I enjoyed this book so much is that it was the first time I'd ever seen this belief so clearly on paper. This book was the story of a family immigrating to the US, but more than that, it was the story of a name, and how it had shaped Gogol and his family. There are so many works of fiction dedicated to the immigrant experience, and even a decent amount which, like this book, span generations. What made this one unique and special to me however, is the way that the entire plot was tied to this naming.

I'm really torn on 4 or 5 stars for this one. I really enjoyed it and can't find any issues with it, but I don't think I feel passionate about it the way I do about some of my five star books.