Monday, May 17, 2021

Monday Moment Book Review - Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri


 I LOVE Jhumpa Lahiri's writing and her new novel, Whereabouts, does not disappoint. She originally wrote in her newest acquired language, Italian, and then translated her own work into this English version. Wow!

The book is less than 155 pages with 46 chapters - small glimpses into the narrators life. Cover blurb:  A woman questioning her place in the world, wavers between stasis and movement, between the need to belong and a refusal to form lasting ties. The city is her companion and we follow her from work to the train station, to the pool, the shops, the beach. 

cover: Whereabouts is an exquisitely nuanced portrait of urban solitude, one that shimmers with beauty and possibility. 

I loved this book and the feelings it evoked - wistfulness, sadness, hope, yearning, contentment, restlessness. I wanted to walk in the piazzas, visit a friend's country home, or have a day at the beach. Each chapter had many sentences that were just wonderful. 

Here's an example: The city doesn't beckon or lend me a shoulder today. Maybe it knows I'm about to leave. The sun's dull disk defeats me: the dense sky is the same one that will carry me away. That vast and vaporous territory, lacking precise pathways, is all that binds us together now. 

Lahiri's writing is a treat. 

12 comments:

  1. Writing in a new language and then translating must've been a challenge.

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    1. She is an amazing person in regard to language

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  2. Writing and translating her own work! I'm envious of anyone who can learn another language - my head just won't cooperate :-(

    Feel free to post your reviews in my FB book group Joanne - I'm not keeping up with it at the moment, so it would be lovely to have some action over there x

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    1. She is tremendous. And I will try to post the link

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  3. It must have been difficult to write in a new language..... I have trouble writing in my own.

    Yvonne.

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    1. indeed. She is always looking for new ways with language

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  4. I just love Jhumpa's writing, she uses language in such original and magnificent ways. This one is firmly on my TBR when my life stops being so turmoil-ey and settles into some sort of normal.

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    1. Glad we agree. And this little book could be a good way to ease into "normal". Truly 1-2 page little chapters that add up into a story. Or frankly, the writing just stands on its own. Enjoy

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  5. I have never read anything like this, I love looking at your book reviews, it makes me think about what kind of books I should look for. Thank you! Hope you have a good rest of your week!

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    1. I admit most of my reviews are for more adult material. But this one is a YA book. There's lots out there for you as an advanced reader.

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  6. Her style is very poetic, romantic too. Sounds like a divine read. Glad you treated yourself, Joanne.

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    1. You deserve a divine read too - treat yourself and sign up in the queue at the library.

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