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Book Review of The Namesake

The Namesake
The Namesake
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
Ladyslott avatar reviewed on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


Gogol Ganguli is The Namesake of the title of this book. A first generation American, born to Bengali parents, Gogol is named after a Russian author is father admires. The name was given to him as a temporary name, while is parents await a letter from home in which a grandmother will send with his true name. The letter never arrives and Gogol becomes a name that never seems to fit, just as Gogol himself never seems completely at home in America or on his frequent trips back to his parent's home country Bangladesh.

A very good story about the difficulties of assimilation and loss of identity, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Gogol and his family's trials and tribulations in America.