recently read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The book is about an Indian Couple from Calcutta that moved to The Boston area, have and raise children, and all the issues that go along with trying to assimilate into a new culture. It interested me initially because I know quite a few people of Indian decent and I am a sucker for any movie or book that takes place in the Boston area. (There are even a few mentions of h20town.)  I like the way she uses a third person limited style narration that is kinda floating so depending on the chapter you get to see a situation from different characters perspectives. While all 4 of the main characters in the family get spotlighted, ( mother, father, son daughter) The 2 main characters are the mom Ashima and her son Gogol/Nikhil Ganguli. Lahiri has many nice scenes that showcase experiences of an Indian family trying to assimilate into American Culture such as the confusion at the hospital when they try to explain why they can not name their baby until they receive the letter with his proper name from Grandma and the difference between proper and pet names. In addition, there are many scenes that are universal to the experience of being from the first generation of any immigrant family. (Something I can relate to myself). This includes the anxiety of dating a girl from a different culture and the culture shock that occurs when staying at a friend or girlfriend's family home. Lahiri has an interesting writing style that is both detailed and matter of fact. She describes life changing events such as death, marriage, and losing ones virginity in an almost detached and not overly dramatized way. In addition, there is no real resolution to the story. We merely leave the remaining characters where they are in their lives with general guesses of what the rest of their lives might entail. I would not recommend the book to everyone. Since it never really goes over the top dramatic, unless you are interested in the subject matter, there is a good chance you might find it boring. For those who just don’t like reading, they have made the book into a movie which will be screened at the Watertown Public Library in the fall.