Jhumpa Lahiri is an excellent writer and this, her debut, is no exception. Each one of the stories examines the experience of being Indian or Indian-American in the US. She’s also interested in relationships in all forms. The opening story follows a young couple as they try to reconnect during the nightly power losses in their neighborhood near Boston. The title story, focuses on a different relationship, with an Indian taxi driver/medical interpreter wondering about his Indian-American clients’ marriage. He is as fascinated by them, and especially the wife, as they are by the culture they see on their trip to India.

Lahiri’s prose beautifully explores all the emotions that her various characters feel, pulling you in deep to the different stories she has crafted. I can see why this book won the Pulitzer Prize when it came out. It is one I highly recommend!