The Namesake

As a Bengali-American, Jhumpa Lahiri's work touches a raw nerve in me. Her writing writing made it possible for me to feel closer to myself and to find a greater acceptance of who I am. As I read, I actually felt as though a sibling were writing about segments of my own life. Descriptions of meshos and mashis; semi-disappointing birthday parties with heaps of food; the smell of fish on buses; New England; the varied challenges of intimate relationships; and the discovery of the term, "ABCD," so closely resembled my own life that it was scary to see in print… It is reassuring to feel that my own experiences were not completely individual, but with many similarities for those of us who grew up on the East Coast in the 70's and 80's. It made me wonder about the numerous childhood acquaintances that filled my life when I was younger. I wondered what happened to many folks that I had not thought of in years.

I was born in June of 1967...My parents came to Boston from Calcutta in 1962 and I understand that we lived around the campus of Tufts University, where my father was a research scientist...I grew up with parents that were very much like Gogol's...I was the first to be born in the United States (in Boston) and after living between there and Providence, my parents finally relocated to NYC in 1970, where I was brought up. As I was growing, I was called by my pet name until the 10th grade (and since my pet name is Joy, I took some serious abuse, being male). I can relate to the characters that struggled with their identity....