Scooter Chronicles

Over the weekend I finished reading a short story collection. It was the 2000 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri.

The main characters of the stories either live in India or are of Indian descent and living in the Boston area, whether they were born in America, or having moved their. Though there are two that stray a bit. In “Sexy” the main character is an American girl from Michigan living in Boston (though she is the mistress of an Indian man). And in “Mrs. Sen’s”, it comes from the point of view (though still third person) of an eleven year old boy that Mrs. Sen watches after school because his mom works late.

Here is a rundown of the stories:

“A Temporary Matter”
“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”
“Interpreter of Maladies”
“A Real Durwan”
“Sexy”
“Mrs. Sen’s”
“This Blessed House”
“The Treatment of Bibi Haldar”
“The Third and Final Continent”

To me, the best story was the first. “A Temporary Matter” centers around a couple in their late 20’s, living in Boston; she’s a proof reader for a big publisher, and he is finishing his doctorate (if I remember correctly). Their relationship has become strained since their child was still-born a couple years back. At the beginning of the story they receive notice that the neighborhood’s electric will be shut off for an hour during the evening every night of the week for repairs. It is during these times that the couple reveals things about themselves that they had not told anyone, let alone each other. As the story goes, you sense they are becoming closer again. But the end has something else in store. It’s a bit of a heartbreaking and dark story.

The other stories were interesting, but lacked the draw of “A Temporary Matter” or the twists of both the storyline and the lives of the characters. That’s not to say they were bad. “Mrs. Sen’s” was an interesting story. She is obviously having a hard time dealing with life in America after her husband takes a job as a teacher at a Boston area university. Being that it comes from the boy’s point of view there are unanswered questions, probably due to his lack of understanding because of maturity.

“A Real Durwan” and “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” were the two that I had the hardest time enjoying. They were entertaining enough to read. But both took place in India and have deeper ties to that way of life, and I am sure I missed things that were important.

“This Blessed House” had an odd sense of humor to it, which made it the most surprising. A newly married couple buys a house and starts to find many Christian statues and trinkets. The husband, being Hindu, is rather put off by the fact that his wife finds them cute, and starts leaving them on the fireplace mantel. She even wants to display the outdoor statue (the cement ones that you see so much) of the Virgin Mary they found in front of the house.

Overall this collection was entertaining. It was also a quick read. The edition I read (borrowed from the Lansdale Public Library) was only 197 pages long with a rather large type set. And though I enjoyed it, I am not sure why this won the Pulitzer. I don’t mean to say that to detract from the book. But I was far more moved and interested in “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides (the 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction). On the other hand, for those out there that enjoy general fiction/literature, I would not hesitate recommending this.