Interpreter of Maladies: This Blessed House

Here's our discussion thread for the seventh story in Interpreter of Maladies. What did you think of it? Who was the more sympathetic character in your eyes: Sanjeev, or his wife Twinkle? What did you make of Sanjeev's shift in feelings toward his wife (and his home) while their guests were in the attic?

If you'd like to discuss themes across multiple stories, please feel free to create a new topic (see the "Post a new topic" link on the left-hand side of this page). If you're reading on-schedule, you should be all finished as of today! Here's our ongoing thread for folks who've finished the book: https://www.librarything.com/topic/250720.

I wasn't a huge fan of this story. I'm not sure we're meant to be sympathetic toward either character. It is about a couple slowly getting to know each other -- warts and all -- and coming to a kind of acceptance, I suppose.

I'm not quite sure what to make of Sanjeev's shift in feelings towards the end. Maybe simply reality sinking in?

I liked this one quite a bit. The religious statues are a kind of MacGuffin that sets up a character study which has a series of beautifully observed details. While I felt more sympathetic to Twinkle, it’s really a story of the time it takes for a couple to learn to appreciate each other. (And as I noted for Mrs. Sen’s, it’s another instance of mismatches—of couples, of neighbors, and of people and their residences.)