Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri: Short Stories Recommendation

Posted On November 4, 2023

Hi Readers! Jhumpa Lahiri is one of those authors whose books when I start reviewing, I can’t quite stop. There are a multitude of themes, some very obvious but some really subtle. There might not always be a memorable character or a thrilling plot, but there are always silences. Golden silences between the words and beyond the pages. And being in those is one of the most honourable pleasures I have ever experienced. It is that way with Roman Stories as well, which is why despite being a 200-page book, this review is over 1000 words. I am hoping you will read it and be fascinated to read the author’s latest book Roman Stories.

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

Rome—metropolis and monument, suspended between past and future, multi-faceted and metaphysical—is the protagonist, not the setting, of these nine the first short story collection by the Pulitzer Prize–winning master of the form since her number one New York Times best seller Unaccustomed Earth, and a major literary event.

In “The Boundary,” one family vacations in the Roman countryside, though we see their lives through the eyes of the caretaker’s daughter, who nurses a wound from her family’s immigrant past. In “P’s Parties,” a Roman couple, now empty nesters, finds comfort and community with foreigners at their friend’s yearly birthday gathering—until the husband crosses a line. And in “The Steps,” on a public staircase that connects two neighborhoods and the residents who climb up and down it, we see Italy’s capital in all of its social and cultural variegations, filled with the tensions of a changing visibility and invisibility, random acts of aggression, the challenge of straddling worlds and cultures, and the meaning of home.

These are splendid, searching stories, written in Jhumpa Lahiri’s adopted language of Italian and seamlessly translated by the author and by Knopf editor Todd Portnowitz. Stories steeped in the moods of Italian master Alberto Moravia and guided, in the concluding tale, by the ineluctable ghost of Dante Alighieri, whose words lead the protagonist toward a new way of life.

~~THOUGHTS~~

Part One comprises of four stories, all of which I really loved. In ‘The Boundary’ we view a family at vacation from the caretaker’s daughter’s perspective. It feels like such a peaceful place to work, but only if it’s your choice and not because you were out of choices. Violent racism and its effects are captured with such poignant melancholy. ‘The Reentry’ is a very real take about growing up and apart in friendships within the period of a day instead of within a period of a lifetime. Casual racism written so sharply yet with highest of sentiments. ‘P’s Parties’ is a classic Jhumpa Lahiri about quiet happenings that make you wonder what was the story even about, where different people will have different takeaways. I felt it was about the could-have-beens and the missed opportunity of meet-cutes with the right person at the wrong time. Written from the point of view of a Roman man, it shows how locals view foreigners as well. I won’t call it racism, but the discrimination is so subtle and inbuilt in the thought process of the man, yet only a trained reader will be able to catch it in the writing. ‘Well-Lit House’ made me exceptionally sad. To try to find a refuge in a foreign city with your family in itself is a courageous thing to do. But to do that with constant harassment right outside your home is another thing. This story talks about the biases and discrimination that locals have of anyone who comes in their community for a better life. Sometimes a well-lit house can have a lot of darkness seep inside and sometimes a dark underpass can have a ray of hope.

Part Two is called The Steps which revolves around six strangers that walk the steps in six different stories. Everyone’s life is so different than the next person and yet when it comes down to it, everyone has the same vulnerabilities sparked by different situations. How something so lifeless as steps can symbolize the generations and their feelings, from young girls sitting on the steps talking and smoking with friends and partners, to older women finding it unsafe to walk those steps littered with cigarette butts and broken bottles to meet cutes that turn into a lifetime of togetherness. This was my favorite part of the three, because it really brought out the feeling of loneliness while being surrounded by a crowd.

Part Three comprises of four stories, all of which are quite bizarre. I had absolutely no idea what to think about ‘The Delivery’ and ‘The Procession’ and a week later, I still don’t. ‘Notes’ felt like it was  about the feeling of belonging and the ability to be content in solo living. And, the last one ‘Dante Alighieri’ is the portrayal of a whole life narrated in a few pages really beautifully.

~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~

When you start reading Roman stories, it feels like you are in the shallow end of the pool, but as you slowly progress, you realize that you are in the deep end in the blink of an eye. It is so subtle that you never really now how you go from reading about a random afternoon in the life of a mother or sister or brother or wife or father to reading about subtle racism prevalent in Rome towards immigrants. It will take your breath away how there is a feeling of unrequited love between a city and her immigrants, who make the city theirs but the city can’t quite make them hers.

I think that if you love to read about literature that is profound, you will like this book. If you have read Jhumpa Lahiri’s books, then you should read this one too. If you like plot driven or character-driven books, then you might not enjoy this one. If you like subtle social commentary in literature, then you should read this book. I have rated Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri translated by Todd Portnowitz at 4.5/5 stars!

Until next time,