Interpreter of maladies stories著者Jhumpa LahiriMatilda Novak

Was able to read only a couple of stories, so the rest remains... however the story When Mr.Pirzada Came Home For Dinner ( or something quite close to it, so paraphrased somewhat)  is still vivid in one's memory, though the reading was nearly six years ago.

It's a story of a girl, perhaps eight or nine years old, who through her child-like eyes develops an understanding of what a frequent household visitor by name Mr.Pirzada is actually going through.

There are a few things common between Mr.Pirzada and her own family - a common language and  culinary style and some literature/music. Mr.Pirzada's country is in tumult, his family is back there, he lives alone in the US and visits the girl's family to share dinner over the television news. The girl progressively develops an understanding of what brings him to the TV newscast, what his anxieties are, and how it must feel to be thousands of kilometres away at such a time.

The story also portrays in a very natural way the dynamics between the girl and her parents, the weather in the eastern US state where the story unfolds...and the story coasts very smoothly and reveals a gravitas underneath the surface. There is considerable deftness and control in the way the story glides without taking too sharp a plunge.  In terms of dramatic restraint, one is reminded of Kazuo Ishiguro's " The Remains Of the Day".  Leaves the reader wanting to experience more works by this author. The film " The Namesake" too was a good tale,