Ever since my high school Asian American literature class, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri has been one of my favorite books. We would spend hours in class, connecting recurring themes and symbols to our heritage and our own experiences. The book is a collection of short stories about various families, focusing on the struggle of South Asian Americans. Many of these stories are actually set in Boston. Now that I live in Boston, I’m often reminded of scenes from the novel. Whether it be places like the Boston Commons or landmarks like the Cisco Sign near BU, I can picture the characters from the short stories and their conflicts. But most of all, when I visit these places, I am reminded of my English class, my identity, and what it means to me to be Asian American.
If you’re looking for something to read, I would highly recommend this book! I feel like Lahiri’s writing style is extremely deliberate in that everything she writes can be read and interpreted with a deeper meaning.
