I’m not usually a big fan of short stories. Too often, they are either lacking in depth or otherwise incomplete, making me wish the author had written a full-length novel so as to flush out the characters and plot details. But, a few months back, I picked up a copy of Interpreter of Maladies, drawn in by the cover art and a growing fascination with all things Indian. At the same time, I received a copy through BookCrossing, and so have had both copies sitting unread for the past several months. I’d been meaning to remedy that, so in light of the new challenge, it seemed a perfect time to do so.

Although all nine stories center around Indian characters, either here in the United States or in India, each one deals with the weaknesses and foibles of people’s lives, crossing the boundaries of ethnicity, with an overall theme of loss, in its myraid of forms. With a delicate touch, Lahiri gives voice to characters who face loneliness, heartache, longing, grief, and a multitude of other emotions, both bitter and sweet.

If I had to pick a favorite from among the collection … well, I can’t pick one. How about two? Mrs. Sen’s has the title character, a professor’s wife, longing for her home and family in India while looking after a young boy with his own familial issues; and The Third and Final Continent, about a man who leaves his family in India to study in England and then to live in the US.

Definitely a book that has me eager to read her novel, which I just discovered has been made into a film.