Just finished this book. It reminded me alot of Amulya Malladi's two books: Mango Season and A Breath of Fresh Air. This is an equally enjoyable book, with unexpected climaxes, so you won't ever feel bored. The book incorporates a lot of the Indian culture into it; I find it particularly interesting to be able to immerse yourself, through the book, into someone else's culture. This explains why I've been trying to find authors like these, these days.
The Namesake's protagonist is Gogol, a name which he despised. Gogol was supposed to be his pet name. as in the Bengali culture, you will be given two names, one is your good name, which is your official name and the other is your pet name, which is only used by family and close friends. However, a twist of events, saw him ending up with Gogol as his official name. But this was later changed to Nikhil.
The story reflects the discordance the characters felt being foreign implants in America. The cultures are vastly different and yet, Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Gogol's parents) had to try to assimiliate themselves into the American culture, for the sake of their children who were bornt in America.
All in all, this is a powerful novel, infused with culture, rich characters, and vivid descriptions. You will feel as if all the characters are real and that you get to know them inside, out, through the book.
P.S. I don't know why I feel that the author has put herself into the story, through the character Moshumi.
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