In Other Words [Hardcover]

In Other Words is the translation of an Italian book, written by the author, which is a memoir on how to find your identity by using a language. Jhumpa Lahiri’s original memior book written in Italian is 'In Altre Parole'. 'In Other Words' is its English translation. The author in this book goes on a journey trying to find herself. One thing common in all her books, is her earnest effort to recreate herself by using the issues of identity, alienation and exile.

This is her first attempt at writing something that is non-fiction. Here she provides the reader with rare glimpses of her life, about when she first moved to the USA from Italy, where she had been living with her Spanish husband and two young children.

IN other Words, without doubt is her most compelling work. Her ardent fans would already be aware of the regular characters like Mr. Kapasi, Ashim and Gogol. All this while, one just assessed of her through the characters she created. In this book one gets to explore her identity and preserve their own versions of her.

The writing style remains the same. As always this two hundred page book is easy to read and will leave you with many thoughts to ponder about. She even shares her quest to learn the Italian language, before moving to Rome. And finally when she mastered it, she ended up writing a book in it.

The book more than just about learning a New language, it is about living life one day at a time. In her struggle to learn a language, the author explore a deeper level, where she struggles with her emotional and cultural barriers that also confront her identity.

The book is also a love story about a writer’s passion to learn a New language at any cost. It can be described as an autobiographical work which expresses the journey of a writer trying to know a New language.

Jumpa Lahiri is an American Indian author, who is also the winner of the coveted Pulitzer Prize. She is a well-known fiction writer and has written The Lowland, Unaccustomed Earth, The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies.