The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (2013)

The Lowland was short listed for England's Booker Prize and long listed for America's National Book Award, but it just did not work for me. Like Family Matters, which I reviewed earlier this month, it concerns the members of an Indian family. Although I found Family Matters to be a bit depressing for my tastes, I did consider it to be very well written. In contrast, The Lowland did not have an emotional impact for me at all, and I thought it to be severely lacking in focus and character development.

The story begins with two young brothers in Calcutta who have dramatically different natures, Subhash being dutiful and retiring, Udayan being daring and impulsive. When the two reach adulthood, Subhash leaves to pursue a graduate degree in America at a quiet rural college while Udayan remains in Calcutta and continues his involvement with an underground revolutionary political movement. Subhash remains in America until he learns that his brother has been killed in the lowland near the family home by government forces, leaving behind his pregnant widow. This part is good, as far as it goes, portraying a loving relationship of brothers and providing interesting information about Indian political unrest during the 1960s,

The remainder of the book (more than half) takes place back in America, as Subhash returns, having married Gauri, his brother's widow, to save her from mistreatment by his parents and to serve as a father to the child when it is born. From this point on, it becomes the story of Gauri's gradually growing rejection of her child, Bela, and of the effect upon Subhash and Bela when Gauri eventually abandons them. The problem for the reader is that Gauri's motivations are not fully explored. She never becomes a fleshed-out character, even though her actions determine the course of the rest of the novel. This part of the book is seriously lacking.

Here's the long and short of it for me--this seems like two separate novels, one about brothers and another about abandonment. Neither story is fully developed. The book lacks a focus.

I do not recommend this book, even though it's obvious that others would disagree.