Read "The Namesake"!

Juhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake is probably my favorite book that I've read in the last several years. Tracing the story of the Ganguli family over the course of 25 years, as Ashima and Askoke move from India to American to raise their family, the lyrical novel deals with themes like the the experience of the immigrant, the challenges of assimilation, and, most affectingly, the complex familial and cultural ties between the generations. You don't have to be an immigrant or a child of an immigrant to enjoy this story -- it's about family and identity just as much as it is about this specific Bengali family, and whether you are a parent or a child or both you will find something to identity with. Funny, moving and insightful, I couldn't put the book down.

Mira Nair has adapted the novel into a gorgeous film, featuring Bollywood stars Tabu and Irfan Khan as Ashima and Askoke Gangui and Harold and Kumar's Kal Pen as their son Gogol. I saw the movie this afternoon, and I can honestly say it is beautifully shot, magnificently acted, and very very moving. However, it's just not as good as the book.

To be fair, I'm not sure any film adapatation could really do this novel justice, what with its 25-year landscape and loose narrative structure. I understand there were going to be details left out, and while I'm sorry, for example, we didn't get to see more of the community that Ashoke and Ashima establish for themselves in America, overall the movie does capture the essence of the novel. Penn is excellent at showing Gogol's journey through the years, and Tabu and Khan are pitch-perfect as the couple who learn, out of necessity, how to make a real life for themselves on their own in a foreign land.

Despite the movie's plentiful attributes, though, I must say I was grateful that I could fill in some of the gaps in the film with the rich details provided in the novel. It made seeing the film a more fulfilling experience.

So, if you're going to see this movie, read the book first. If you've already seen the film, read the book anyways. And if you're only going to have one The Namesake experience, make it the literary one. You won't regret it.