The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

I first became aware of Jhumpa Lahiri when my friend Beth insisted I read interpreter of maladies. I then went on to read Unaccustomed Earth. 

For my third voyage I visited The Lowland. The story of two brothers so connected yet so far apart is everything I have come to love about Jhumpa. The story jumps ahead at times, leaving blanks in the story, but you won't mind. It is something she does very well and if you've read any of her short stories you will be familiar with the feeling, the feeling of jumping into the lives of the characters, getting a glimpse of a time in their story then jumping back out. 

While this is supposed to be the story of two brothers and the different paths they take and how their loves converge again I felt like is was more the story of what it means to be a mother and what happens when loss gets in the way of the job. From the mother of the brothers who set the story in motion, then to her daughter-in-law, and finally her granddaughter it is the women who have the most depth and it really is their story. 

The history of India that is used at the back drop for the story was as much a character as the people and it was very interesting yet often sad. 

A lot of emotion was felt while reading this novel. 

(Finished May 1, 2015)