REVIEW: Whereabouts, by Jhumpa Lahiri

Title: Whereabouts

Author: Jhumpa Lahiri

Rating: ★★★★ (4 out of 5 stars)

I'm amazed at our impulse to express ourselves, explain ourselves, tell stories to one another. The simple sandwich I always get amazes me, too. As I eat it, as my body bakes in the sun that pours down on my neighborhood, each bite, feeling sacred, reminds me that I'm not forsaken.

Last week, I walked into a bookstore that I hadn’t been to before nor even heard of. I had asked the bookseller for recommendations of short books, and they graced me with Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was my first time hearing of this book and author, and upon reading its synopsis, I decided to give it a shot. I bought the book. I started reading.

And, my, I’m so glad I did! Though it was really short (157 pages, to be precise), I took my time reading it. I wasn’t all that in a reading mood, but I found it to be the exact kind of disposition to be in which motivated me to continue on.

The beginning of the novel is slow-paced, but as it moves from one event to another, you get into the rhythm of Lahiri’s style of storytelling. And what I love about Whereabouts is the ebb and flow of the narrative that takes you on a journey of an unnamed woman’s life filled with an undercurrent of loneliness and melancholy and, at times, a burst of energy. Lahiri’s writing was a treat, as well! Simple yet powerful, she encapsulates the emotions of living in solitude while navigating familial relationships and friendships in a succinct manner without being overwrought. With each vignette of the woman’s life, I could smell, taste, see each season that passes, which changes alongside the woman’s perspective on the mundanity of life and what solitude means to her.

Overall, the novel was enjoyable and, I think, successful in its execution.