Short Story: A Temporary Matter
Collection: Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Review
This story is quite different than my previous short story reads. For one, this is realistic...brutally so. The story is about an Indian couple who have recently had a stillborn child. This, of course, causes pain to arise in both the characters in very different ways. Shukumar watches as his wife, Shoba, cares less and less about their home (and even Shukumar) and becomes more self-absorbed. Lahiri offers the best metaphor for their relationship in the form of their pantry. Once full of food, the pantry supply slowly dwindles. Instead of filling it with what his wife cannot provide at the moment, Shukumar takes what's left and makes his wife dinner. While at dinner, they learn that their electricity will be shut off for one hour each day for a week. It's while having dinner together, in the dark, where they tell each other their secrets. And through these secrets, we learn just how far Shukumar and Shoba have let their union dwindle...just like that pantry.
Reader, you can probably guess that I loved this short story. I truly did. It made me so sad, but the language is so beautiful that I forgot for a moment or two that I was witnessing the end of a marriage. The pantry was a perfect metaphor for the situation between Shukumar and Shoba. It's everything a short story should be.
Verdict
Read it! You'll either cry or just get really sad - but it's worth it :)
In Honor
By Jessi Kirby
Summary:
Three days after learning of her brother Finn’s death, Honor receives his last letter from Iraq. Devastated, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously sets off to California to fulfill it. At the last minute, she’s joined by Rusty, Finn’s former best friend.
Rusty is the last person Honor wants to be with—he’s cocky and obnoxious, just like Honor remembers, and she hasn’t forgiven him for turning his back on Finn when he enlisted. But as they cover the dusty miles together in Finn’s beloved 1967 Chevy Impala, long-held resentments begin to fade, and Honor and Rusty struggle to come to terms with the loss they share.
As their memories of Finn merge to create a new portrait, Honor’s eyes are opened to a side of her brother she never knew—a side that shows her the true meaning of love and sacrifice.
Review:
So, as I'm sure my readers have noticed (are you still out there??), I've been on a hiatus. I got really sick and then married! So, good and bad in there lol Now, let's get back to being active on this blog of mine!
In Honor is a road trip and tearjerker all in one. I tend to stay away from stories that are military related (I don't know why, not my cup of tea?), but I remember hearing off of a book tuber that this was a good book.
And it most definitely was.
The story takes place in a matter of days, but Honor experiences a lifetime of sadness, anger, understanding and finally some sort of acceptance during those days. I wasn't expecting to fall for the story like I did. Honor is a likable character whose POV relates to that of a real teenager (in my opinion). The story is a quick read and a worthy one at that. The story had its poignant moments that made me tear up and other moments of reflection that I can see helping some readers that have gone through or are going through grief. The story in itself works as a symbolic visit through the different stages of grief. Don't get me wrong, there is humor in the story - but it's the sad parts that stick with you.
Rating:
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
by Morgan Matson
Summary:
Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.
Review:
A wonderful story about loss, grief, friendship and love. It's no surprise that I love the YA genre - but rarely do I come across a story that I feel truly shows what grief and loss are to its reader. And this book...this book does it beautifully well. There is plenty of humor, adventure and painful moments throughout the book - it was crazy to realize that it spans about a week (I believe). I could not put it down because the characters were believably written and that made me care about each of them. It also made me realize that some people are not meant to stay in our lives; some people are meant to leave their footprint and move on. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a humorous, but bittersweet read. Also, just so you know, there are bad words, sex and death mentioned in this book. Each topic was used well and did not ruin the flow of the story. Actually, they only helped the evolution of the characters.
Rating:
