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THE OPEN BOOK continued THE OPEN BOOK con't. next column THE OPEN BOOK con't. next column THE OPEN BOOK continued Shannon DeRespino lives in Sanford with her husband and their two black cats, Cam and Raven. She holds a B.A. in English from Wake Forest University and an M.A. in English & Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She has been contributing book reviews to the Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. since 2012. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri 1999 / Short Story Collection Review by Shannon Derespino On my edition of Interpreter of Maladies, the New York Times calls Jhumpa Lahiri “a writer of uncommon elegance and poise.” The Wall Street Journal calls her “a writer of uncommon sensitivity and restraint.” All true...elegant, full of poise, sensitive, restrained and certainly uncommon. This is an absolutely beautifully written collection of short stories that delves into the hearts of Indians, Indian immigrants, our relationships to our own cultures, our relationships to new cultures, our relationships with family and with strangers. I was moved and stunned on every page. I don’t spend a lot of time reading short stories, but I was drawn to this collection by the idea that Lahiri had written them as an overall statement. The stories themselves are self-contained, but when taken together they form an overall narrative. The collection won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 and for good reason. Nine stories are included in Interpreter of Maladies, and they are as unique as they are stunningly well-written. The stories: “A Temporary M a t t e r ” : A study of marriage after tragedy (the stillbirth of a child) set against an evening of s u c c e s s i v e p l a n n e d power outages. Wistful and mournful...a f i e r c e understanding of what it is like to grow apart during times of pain. “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”: The first story told from the perspective of a child, and through a child’s eyes, we see the complications of politics and war and how they affect real families and real people. “Interpreter of Maladies”: The heartbreaking fantasy of the brief idea that someone new can save you from a life of tedium, boredom and lack of passion. This is the first Lahiri story I read, during graduate school, and the subtlety of the character interactions floored me. “A Real Durwan”: The first of two stories that reads like a fable. We often fear and misunderstand one another, rather than looking more deeply. Probably my least favorite in the collection but good. “Sexy”: The lead character is an American interacting with Indians. The slow car crash of her realization of the truth of her “sexiness” is substantial. Masterfully crafted. “Mrs. Sen’s”: The second story told from the perspective of a child. His compassion for Mrs. Sen, even as he struggles to understand her, is beautiful. Warm, slow and heartbreaking. “This Blessed House”: Arranged marriage and the knowledge that you must spend your life with a complete stranger, woven through Christian mythology and drunken party-goers. Lighter, sweeter. “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar”: The second “fable.” Told from the collective “we” perspective and set in an India that is both beautiful and cruel. “The Third and Final Continent”: A patient, breathtakingly composed finish for the collection with a truly likable narrator and a surge of humanity and love for the bridge between continents. This collection is a true love letter to India and Indian people. This is an amazing collection and highly, highly recommended. I went into it knowing only the barest of minimums about India and the culture of its people (both within India and spread across the world) but after finishing it I felt that Lahiri had provided a window into the beauties and pains of the Indian people. �� Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 1954-55 / Fantasy/ Review by Shannon Derespino And so it comes to that inevitable time in every book reviewers life when they tackle one of the great works of the twentieth century. While I was never a huge fan of the fantasy genre growing up and even today would not consider myself a strong admirer of the genre as a whole (which I find often falls victim to the excessive use of established tropes and stereotypes) I am paradoxically a huge fan of several of the most famous and most beloved fantasy works. From George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire to C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, I have found that when the fantasy genre is done well, it can be as fascinating, intense, romantic, complex and brilliant as works from any other genre. It is through the world of fantasy and the great gift of imagination that these writers have explored their thoughts and emotions regarding our own world. The grandfather of them all is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, published in three volumes b e t w e e n 1954 and 1955 but r e a l l y serving as one large piece. While To l k i e n’s m a g n u m opus was not the first work of high f a n t a s y f i c t i o n , t h e i r m a s s i v e success and influence w e r e unprecedented and today serve as the opening of the modern fantasy era. Tolkien himself was a highly—intelligent man and academic who worked as a linguist and philologist and spent decades creating and deeply exploring the lore and history of his Middle Earth. My first exposure to the world of Lord of the Rings was, like many others, Peter Jackson’s 2001-2003 film adaptations of the series. I was middle school age at the time of their release and saw each of the three films in the theaters as they were released and was enthralled with them. Here was a world of tremendous beauty, terror and history populated with characters that could be heroic and noble in more ways than one—as a fierce and brave warrior or as a kindly and loyal hobbit. I went to read the books when I was around 13 and found that I couldn’t get into them. I started the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, and found it dense—dry, even. I gave up and for a very long time I just stuck with the films. However, in the summer of 2010 I graduated from college and decided to make a second effort at reading the books. I was older and much more familiar with literature at this point. As I began to read, I found that my opinions had changed completely. The novels were not dense or dry. They read like an ancient text detailing a world that was as real as our own. Tolkien created entire languages for his novels. He wrote songs and tales and histories. He drew maps and created family trees. He loved the world that he had built, and he shared that love with all of his readers. Contained within that exceptionally wellrealized fantasy realm, there lay a story to which everyone could relate. It is a story about a team of brave and disparate companions who come together to complete a task—to destroy and fight against an evil that seems impossible to face. It is a story about friendship and the bonds we share. The reader follows Frodo, Sam and Gollum on their trek to Mount Doom, with each step as exhausting and terrifying as they would have felt. The reader sees Eowyn hide her gender beneath helm and shield and ride out to fight with the men of Rohan. The reader sees Aragorn first spurn and eventually accept his place as the true king. The Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece—a truly immense work of fiction that has captured the imaginations of millions for decades. I would put it on the list of works that everyone should read before they die. Every work of fantasy that has followed Tolkien’s work owes it at least a small debt. I love the Peter Jackson films but please don’t skip the books. I would suggest that kids wait until they are a bit older and more mature before attempting to read the books because they are slower and more intricately plotted than modern readers may be accustomed to, but don’t let their pace fool you into thinking they are “boring.” They are of a different age and, in my opinion, that is part of what makes them so special. �� No. 128 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.31


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