Book #3 of 2012 is by the same author as Book #1 (The Namesake). This book has a unique structure. The first part is comprised of 5 disconnected short stories, and the second part has three short stories that are snapshots from the same characters' lives that occur over the course of several decades. Each story in the book falls under the overarching theme of people who left India to build a life elsewhere. Most stories have some version of an unhappy ending, although there is a wide range from just merely in an unhappy marriage to being killed by an act of nature. Many stories involve the juxtaposition of American culture and Indian culture and varying levels of acculturation by different family members, similar to The Namesake. While this book was interesting, I would recommend The Namesake above it, partially just because I like to explore characters over the course of a novel rather than just a short story.
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