Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of short stories written by Jhumpa Lahiri in 1999. While crafting characters that lead completely different lives, the author connects their experiences in clever and seamless ways. Through her descriptive language that elicits vivid imagery and moving moments, I developed deep sympathies for the personalities I read about on paper. The nine stories share a similar historical background during the partition of India when British India separated into India and Pakistan. Although Lahiri doesn’t imply underlying links between the stories, I grouped the stories together based on their major themes. The beautiful plots stem around romantic, familial, and cultural conflicts.

A Temporary Matter and Interpreter of Maladies fall under the same category. Both exemplify unresolved relationship problems between couples caused by emotional scars and deceit. As Shoba and Shukumar lose their child at birth, the death leaves a permanent sense of distance and tension, exacerbated by the fact that Shukumar wasn’t by his wife’s side during the final moments of the tragic delivery. However, when the couple finds out that their electricity will go out every night at eight due to construction, the temporary darkness allows them to reconnect and communicate without the pain of looking each other in the eye. Similarly, when Mrs. Das opens up to Mr. Kapasi about her affair during her marriage, she idealizes his presence because she needs someone to vent to. Mr. Kapasi gladly takes on his new role, fantasizing and sexualizing their relationship as well. I particularly enjoyed how the two stories didn’t end on a cliché, “happily ever after” note, as Shoba and Shukumar decide to separate and Mr. Kapasi’s contact information flies out of Mrs. Das’ bag. These events symbolize that the desired outcomes often present in fairy tales don’t exist in the reality of adulthood.

Furthermore, When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, Mrs. Sen’s, and The Third and Final Continent convey special and tender relationships that the narrators have with the traditional elders in their lives. Mr. Pirzada waits anxiously for news from his family trapped in Pakistan mid-war while living at Lilia’s home. She views him as a mystery and becomes curious to learn about the Indian history not taught at her patriotic American school. Mr. Pirzada gifts Lilia candy despite his inner turmoil while her respect and attachment to him develop into silent prayers for the safety of his children. By the same token, Eliot observes his babysitter Mrs. Sen’s unspoken disappointment in her husband for constantly working late. Indian culture is an apparent part of her: with her bindi and refraining from intimacy in public. Eliot’s maturity, observing Mrs. Sen angrily chopping vegetables after finding out that she has to go to the fish market alone, surprised me. The last story of the book was my favorite. As the main character (unnamed) moves to Boston six weeks before the arrival of his wife, he rents an apartment from an old lady, Mrs. Croft. At first, her erratic behavior confuses him, but their bond begins to grow through the lighthearted conversations every afternoon on a piano bench under the stairs. The storyteller, upon finding out Mrs. Croft’s age, feels shocked, as she does not exhibit the temperament of someone older than a hundred. Not only did this short literature cause tears to sneakily escape my eyes, but it also allowed me to understand that family isn’t defined by blood. Mrs. Croft entered the protagonist’s life to serve many purposes: to welcome him with warm arms into his “third and final” home, to help him through his doubts and uncertainties, and most importantly, to break the ice in his awkward arranged marriage, ultimately bringing him and his wife closer.

The unmentioned stories, A Real Durwan, The Treatment of Bibi Haldar, Sexy, and This Blessed House, are all amazing and provocative reads. This collection was enjoyable because of both the commonalities that strung the passages together and the unique characters who made their individual storylines alive. If I had the option to name this book, I would choose the title The Third and Final Continent because it has become my favorite short story. And if you see this book sitting on a bookshelf of a bookstore or on a kindle list, do not hesitate to purchase it - it will be the best decision you’ve ever made.