The Namesake: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri
What's in a name?  It provides a first impression.  It introduces you to the world.  It often defines you, like it or not.

In certain cultures naming is a complicated process.  Elders are consulted and much consideration is given to choose the perfect one.  Such was the case for an Indian couple living near Boston ready to name their first child.  Keeping with tradition, they waited for a letter from her grandmother containing the chosen name.  Meanwhile, they gave their son a pet name, Gogol.  But the letter never arrived, so Gogol stayed Gogol - Gogol Ganguli.  A bit unusual but full of meaning, which will take Gogol a lifetime to understand.

The Gangulis do their best to hold onto home and their Indian traditions.  They seek out other Bengalis and create a makeshift family of sorts.  They go back to India to visit for extended periods of time.  Their family grows and Gogol has a sister named Sonia.  However, Gogol and Sonia are first generation Americans, and they very much embrace all things American.  They want Christmas lights, blue jeans, cheeseburgers and the freedom to marry whomever they choose.  They want to fit in with their peers and not be seen as different.  Their parents try their best to balance both cultures, saddened that theirs seems to be slipping away.

When it is time for Gogol to go off to college, he decides to assert independence in several significant ways.  He attempts to reinvent himself by changing his odd first name.  He chooses to study architecture instead of a traditional Indian field such as engineering.  He becomes deeply involved with women who are not Indian or ethnic.  His parents accept his choices as best they can, never fully approving, but tolerating.  They are hurt that Gogol does not seem comfortable with them, does not spend much time visiting, does not truly include them in his life.

After college when Gogol has completely integrated himself into his girlfriend's wealthy New York City family, he gets word that his father has passed away unexpectedly.  He finds himself grieving for his father and worrying about his mother.  It seems now that his father is gone, Gogol wants to know and appreciate him more.  He disentangles himself from his girlfriend and her family, and eventually even agrees to go out with an Indian-American woman whom he remotely knew as a child.  Then to his great surprise, they fall in love.  But modern day love is more difficult than their parents' generation of arranged marriages.  Freedom of choice is good but not always easy.  It can lead you down the wrong path with no one to blame but yourself.

In adulthood, Gogol is free to choose what he wants:  who to love, which traditions to honor, which cultural influences to keep.  Yet, as he matures, he begins to gravitate back toward where he began with a greater appreciation of what he had almost thrown away.

Many of us in adolescence and young adulthood have gone through similar growing pains.  At some point we may be embarrassed by our families in one way or another.  It could be when our father answers the door wearing black knee socks with his Birkenstocks.  Or it could be a significant cultural difference when our mother answers the door wearing a sari.  In The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri does a wonderful job of telling the story of a boy growing up with the complication of cross-cultures, trying to honor his parents but also trying to find his own way.

About the author:   Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London, England and raised in Rhode Island.  Her stories have been selected for both The Best American Short Stories and the O. Henry Award.  Her collection of short stories, The Interpreter of Maladies, won both the Pen/Hemmingway Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000.  She lives in New York City.
The Namesake: A Novel