Dang the female :-)
Look at the glowing review
Here is what bothers me - description of the children of immigrants in Jhumpa's work - "(they)are often emotional outsiders: having grown up translating the mysteries of the United States for their relatives, they are fluent navigators of both Bengali and American culture but completely at home in neither; they always experience themselves as standing slightly apart, given more to melancholy observation than wholehearted participation."
This is gross generalization, this is poor stereotyping...of the Indian immigrants and their children, if not the whole immigrant community. There are all kind you know, those who do not fit in, those who do, those who hate it here and still live here, those who love it here and have to go back to India...those who are fine here and fine back home...
There is a beautiful song in the movie Namaste London that just about sums up the whole immigrant and their children-
"koi nayi duniya ke naye rango mein khush rehta hai
koi sab kuch paake bhi yeh mann hi mann kehta hai
kehne ko saath apane ek duniya chalti hai
per chhupke is dil mein tanhaayi palti hai
koi dil mein jagah nayi, baaton ke liye rakhta hai
koi apni palko par yaadon ke diye rakhta hai"
(Some are happy in the new colors of new world,
Some, even after having it all, say
how lonely they are surrounded by the crowds
Some keep a place in their hearts for new things, new experiences
Some only live for the memories, lighted like a candle in their eyes.)
There are all kinds, and not all immigrant children are 'given to melancholy observations' ...though I am sure there are some who do and it would appear Ms. Lahiri is one of them.!!
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