The Lowland

2015 Longlist

The Lowland is an engrossing family saga steeped in history: the story of two very different brothers bound by tragedy, a fiercely brilliant woman haunted by her past, a country torn apart by revolution, and a love that endures long past death. Moving from the 1960s to the present, and from India to America and across generations, this dazzling novel is Jhumpa Lahiri at the height of her considerable powers.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Jhumpa Lahiri is the author of three previous works of fiction: Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake and, most recently, Unaccustomed Earth. A recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, a PEN/Hemingway Award, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2012.

Librarians’ Comments

A novel worth reading, a story about a subversive character seeking independence that makes you want to know what happens next.

In this novel Lahiri displays her mastery of pacing, understated prose and powerful drama.

A multi-generational story about brothers Subhash and Vdayan from the times of their growing up in Calcutta and coming of age, spanning generations as well as continents, comparing India and New England in vivid detail. The story encompasses their interests both academic and political, family secrets and their effects. An epic story that explores family, state and honor and the restlessness that comes with them.

This tale of two brothers looks at political unrest in 1960s India and the anguish of the resulting family rifts, using elegant prose and well planned pacing. Characters are carefully crafted and create powerful scenes of moral ambiguity with results that affect generations.