This book won a Pulitzer for a reason.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri is the most beautiful and melancholy book of short stories I have ever read. If Lahiri was a dentist, then she would definitely be a periodontist. The finesse involved in building each of these stories so full of emotion and subtle, yet significant, moments is unmatched by any writer. If you want to feel something, then read this book.

Common themes throughout each story include Indian immigrants in America, Indian culture, and loss. Lahiri is also the author of The Namesake.

There were two short stories in particular that connected with me: A Temporary Matter and This Blessed House.

A Temporary Matter is the story of a husband and wife who lost their first child during birth and are now in the twilight of their marriage. Every night for one week the power is turned off while electricians fix downed lines from a snowstorm. During these times the couple lights candles, eats dinner, and tells each other secrets they’ve kept in the quiet. As they re-live the best parts of their relationship it gives the reader hope. The second to last secret revealed is that the wife has found an apartment and she is leaving him. The last secret revealed by the husband is the sex of their lost child.

The best part of this story was the hope. I really was fooled, for pages and pages. I am an eternal optimist. Lahiri is a master storyteller.

This Blessed House is the story of a newlywed couple. He is from Connecticut, and she is from California. He is an upper class businessman who, even though they have only known each other a few months, has bought his wife the house of his dreams (or so he thinks). She goes by the name Twinkle, is awful at cooking Indian food, and has a Masters in poetry from Stanford. As they clean out the new home to start building their own nest, they continue to find Biblical surprises left by the previous owners. A watercolor painting of a weeping Christ rolled up behind the radiator, a dish towel printed with the Ten Commandments, a plaster Virgin Mary hiding behind an overgrown bush, and more. Twinkle collects all of these pieces and is delighted by them. Neither are Christians. He hates her new fascination with the religious items. His frustration culminates when their entire house warming party begins to search for more of these hidden blessed items. All of his friends adore Twinkle. Ultimately, he submits to her carefree, spontaneous, and sometimes nonsensical approach to life.

This story reminds me so much of my significant other and myself. You never know when you’re going to find yourself as a character in a book. Twinkle’s character was a joy to read, and the dynamic between her and her husband was comical, yet insightful.

These are just two of the nine stories in this book. Every one kept me engaged and turning the page. These stories are well worth reading for their art, beauty, and elegance. I recommend this to all true lovers of the written word.