When I finished the first story in this collection, I knew I was in the hands of a master short story writer. In just 55 or so pages, Jhumpa Lahiri tells the story of Ruma's father visiting her new home in Seattle for the first time. But in the course of those 55 pages, I felt like I received a fully realized view into Ruma and her father's past, present and future. I was stunned how Jhumpa Lahiri was able to fit so much into the story—Ruma's relationship with her mother and her grief for her unexpected death, the state of Ruma's marriage to her husband Adam, her father's new relationship with a woman, the family's dynamics growing up, the loneliness of being a mother in a strange new city. Yet the story never felt rushed, forced or jumbled; it unfolds naturally and eloquently. Each little detail is presented when it should be and gives you another piece to Ruma and her father. At the end, each little piece becomes part of a fully-formed mosaic—complete, colorful, shining and whole.

And Jhumpa Lahiri's skill continued with the rest of the stories. Each one had the same sense of wholeness and completeness to it. At the end of each story, I felt full and satisfied—never wanting more, never needing more. Each story was a perfect fully formed pearl.

The book itself is divided into two parts. Part One has five separate "stand alone" stories. Part Two, which is called "Hema and Kaushik," has three stories—one for Hema, one for Kaushik, and one that brings them together.

Although each story has its own feel and characters, Lahiri returns to and touches on similar themes in each story that tie the collection together as a whole. The experience of being an immigrant and coming from India to America is a common thread (specifically, a Bengali Indian). Marriage—arranged marriages vs. "chosen" marriages—is a theme that runs throughout each story. The "Americanization" of Indian children and parents is yet another recurring thread. In addition, Lahiri uses Cambridge, Massachusetts as the setting for several of the stories.

Yet even though you might accurately call this collection "an examination of the Indian immigrant experience," the truths and emotions of these characters are universal. I felt connected to each of Lahiri's characters. I recognized facets of my life in their lives. I heard my thoughts in their thoughts. I saw myself reflected in them. Although our culture, upbringing, location and families might be different, Jhumpa Lahiri's characters spoke to me and it rang true.

The story that most affected me was the third Hema and Kaushik story, "Going Ashore." This was a masterful piece of storytelling, and the ending just wrenched my heart out. The very last sentence of the story is so simple and stark yet reading it brought tears to my eyes, and I felt my heart ache a little bit.

If you have prejudices against short stories like I did, do yourself a favor and read Unaccustomed Earth. To me, these stories are perfect examples of what you can do with the short story form. I know that they will be the standard by which I judge all other short story collections in the future—and the bar has been set exceedingly high. ( )

This being my first read of Jhumpa Lahiri's, I'd have to say I enjoyed her writing style. I'm not normally a big fan of short stories, but these were all enjoyable & seemingly very down-to-earth & true. Most all of the stories settled around 2nd generation people of Indian origin now living in the United States. Lahiri blended the two cultures together well, leaning not more toward one or the other, but creating just the right combination. I do look forward to reading her other works. ( )

While Lahiri’s first short story collection (The Interpreter of Maladies) focused on Bengali immigrants in America, her novel The Namesake (adapted into a movie by Mira Nair in 2006) looked toward the second generation: the young people forced to navigate between two worlds as they try to steer themselves toward their future. Her newest book of short stories, The Unaccustomed Earth continues that exploration with greater success.

Lahiri writes about immigrants, but she is a thoroughly American writer; she excels at drawing quiet, naturalistic portraits of individuals who are floating aimlessly through the space of their lives. In each story she peels back their calm and guarded exteriors to show us the violent passions that lurk in their (and our) hearts, without judgment or cynicism. Lahiri’s style is in top form here, as she reveals the countless forces that act on her characters, pushing them in opposing directions until they are paralyzed. ( )

The best word I can think of to describe this book is "true." Each of its stories focus on the small moments of human relationships that somehow encapsulate everything that is both right and wrong between husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons. None of the stories are precisely hopeful; each is underpinned by a strong undercurrent of longing, and each seems to focus on a fuzzy gray area where a heart is broken but perhaps not beyond repair. Although all of the main characters are Indian or Indian-American, that fact barely seems relevant. While adjusting to foreign cultures and relating to foreign parents are important elements of book, the human relationships it describes are universal. Even as a stereotypical WASP, I read each story thinking about how strongly I could relate to it. But, for all I admired each story, I can't recommend reading the whole collection straight through. The feeling of melancholy is intense and pervasive, and the collection began to feel a bit homogenous if I tried to read the stories back-to-back. Even if you don't usually cheat on your books, I would recommend putting down this one in between stories in favor of something happier and lighter. ( )

Bought 05 Jun 2009 - Bookends, Hay-on-Wye

More (long) short stories by this wonderful writer. The form gives Lahiri room to explore the lives of her characters, all immigrants from India living in America, but in various situations and levels of happiness. As in her other books, the writing and situations are deceptively simple but beautifully done and almost perfect in their completeness and clarity. I particularly liked the three linked stories at the end - following two second-generation immigrants and their feelings for their families and each other - you have to like a heroine who starts off hating the hero because she ends up with his cast-off coat when everyone else has pink girly jackets. I got a bit worried about a plot point near the end, but it was sensitively and well done and did add something to the narrative.

Excellent stuff - I'd like to see another novel from this author next. ( )