Interpreter of Maladies

Title: Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Published: 1999
Publisher: Mariner Book
Format: paperback, 198 pages.
Rating: T

A friend of mine from GRI Malang loves reading books adorned with prize, like Pulitzer and Bookman or whatever is it. She said she loved Jhumpa Lahiri. Mbak Dania, my friend, had a great taste in books that I wanted to peek at Lahiri's work aside from the short story "Brotherly Love" I got from bukukata.

I was a litle bit disappointing at first because the first story was so chick-lit-ish, "Is this a romance book?", as you know I shy away from romance. Then as the story unfold, I began to like how Lahiri created the setting and she did write beautifully.

Intrepeter of Maladies is that kind of book I keep reading despite not liking the characters the author has created. I failed to understand Twinkle with her knack to piss her husband for they were not Christian but Twinkle wanted to keep the blaring Christian stuffs left by previous owner. I failed to understand people who drove Boori Ma away after all she did for them. It was sad that the Bibi Haldar had to get raped to get cured. World is cruel place.


Consists of 9 stories, only Sexy has the best quote I will always remember.

"What is sexy?"
"Sexy means loving someone you don't know."

Sexy is a story about infidelity. No one likes infidelity and I avoid it as I can, but what the kid had said about sexy successfully grabbed my attention. I smiled and hooted, you know. That must hurt the kept girl so bad.

As for "When Mr. Pizarda Come to Dine", it makes want to know more about Hindustan separation. There are a ton of world history I want to know it overwhelms my browser with so many tabs I am opening at once.

Interpreter of Maladies itself is a story about Indian man who had a main job as interpreter for a doctor whose patients were mostly Gujarat that their language he didn't understand. Interesting job, isn't? And, it is a story about infidelity, again.

The third and Final continent I think is Jhumpa Lahiri's story herself.  

Nine stories of to cling or not to cling to your roots. Of how to cope with the loss of somethings we want so much. Very touching and sometimes, baffling. 3.5 stars :)

About the author:

Jhumpa Lahiri (born on July 11, 1967) is an Indian American author. Lahiri's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies (1999), won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake (2003), was adapted into the popular film of the same name. She was born Nilanjana Sudeshna but goes by her nickname (or in Bengali, her "Daak naam") Jhumpa Lahiri is a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama. Her book The Lowland, published in 2013, was a nominee for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Fiction.

Some people says that she won Pulitzer in literary award because Lahiri was people of color and a female. I don't know how books get their award but Lahiri's works do have good quality and certain deepness. A female touch makes this antalogy has a different view about women.