The Lowland

by Jhumpa Lahiri

Attendees: Mary Margaret (host), Pat, Pam, Nan, Janna, Susan, Lori, Cheryl

For this month's book club, we were back in India. We've read several books in the past set in India - Beyond the Beautiful Forevers and The Space Between Us. 

Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London and raised in Rhode Island. She wrote The Namesake (highly recommended by book club members), and is a Pulitzer Prize Winner. 

Rating:
We rated this book at 4.5, the usual! Ha! In between 4, "I wouldn't have picked this book, but I am glad that I read it," and "I would definitely recommend this to a friend."

Characterization:
We thought that the author did a good job with developing the character of Subhash.  Subhash was the central character and most relatable. With the character of Udayan, we were wanting to understand his motivation....how quickly he escalated into terrorism.  We also didn't really understand Bela; how she could not put down "roots" even though she was a farmer. (Pun intended.)

Plot: 
Sometimes we started a chapter and had to read a page or two to understand what time and what place that particular chapter was about. But, for the most part, we didn't mind the back and forth between settings and times. We did wonder about the ending, though; it seemed a little "out of order." 

Quote of the night:  
From Cheryl - "We've all done that....or something similar...."