I was disappointed with this book- not to say that it was a "bad" book by any means -I was just disappointed. It’s a family saga from the initial immigration of a bengali wife and husband from India to US. The story goes on to talk about the life of their son Gogol who appears to be confused as to what his identity is and is conflicted over honoring tradition and the culture of a new world.Gogol, hates his name and states his hatred of his name Gogol “not only because it’s a pet name turned good name, but a last name turned first name". Even after he goes and legally changes his name from Gogol to Nikhil he continues to complain. Gogol or “Nikhil” is a shallow and self absorbed character that doesn’t do anything but ignore his family and have affairs with random women. I got bored with the second half that focused on lots of rich, young New Yorkers sitting around drinking wine. The story had a strong beginning, but I just simply began to lose interest halfway through the book...it was just getting too long for what she was trying to get across. The author failed to get the idea across with an unclear theme and structure. I have to admit that I LOVE the author's writing style with her elegant and incredibly descriptive nature while not boring whatsoever.
Overall I found the The Namesake to be a disappointment. Skip this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment