Jhumpa Lahiri comes back after a gap of ten years. It was a much-awaited book indeed. But it doesn’t work. It’s not really a novel – I think it’s unfair to the readers to call it one – it’s a collection of random vignettes. There is no story arc, no development of characters, no climax – no story really. The writing is there though. When I read Jhumpa Lahiri, it’s like she is speaking to me, that we are on the exact same wavelength. It’s poignant, subtle, and yet deeply-felt. But next time around, Ms. Lahiri, it will be great to have a story too.

Read, if you are a fan.