I spent a lot of time trying to read this book! I loved Lahiri book In other words so much that I didn’t want to read another one of her books. The break up was going to be too much to bear. This book was very detailed, sometimes too detailed. I often found myself knowing the ending to each story and she hinted at how the situations would pan out. I wish she wasn’t so detailed throughout the book but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the character development. The character development was so well written that I thought that I was Gogol. I felt that I too was going through his pain, happiness, and struggles. He tried so hard to remove himself from who he was and it did not matter in the end. His new name never quite felt quite like his own although he went through great measures to hide the name Gogol from the world.

While reading this book, I understood more why most of my friends who are from other parts of the world have two names. I began to understand why some of those names are said in certain contexts and some are not. Versus in the U.S.A, you can use your nickname and name interchangeably and no one will bat an eye. I believe that Gogol had to go through all that he went through in order to fully accept himself and his family.

Again, I didn’t want this book to end. It was like a warm blanket that I didn’t want to move from under.