Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of stories by Jhumpa Lahiri published 1999. 'A Temporary Matter' - the disintegration of a marriage after their first child arrives as a stillbirth. 'When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine' - Bangladesh state separation through the eyes of an Indian child who's family hosts a Pakistani University professor for dinners. 'Interpreter of Maladies' - Indian family on tour in India reveals themselves as shallow Americans to tour guide. 'A Real Durwan' - Unofficial 'doorman' gets a bad deal when tenants obsess over home improvements. 'Sexy' - A married Indian man romances a young woman; she feels 'sexy' for the first time. 'Mrs Sen's' - Transplanted Indian wife through the eyes of the child she watches. 'This Blessed House' - Impetuous marriage reveals its cracks when the modern educated wife becomes determined to display the christian icons they find in their newly purchased home. 'The Treatment of Bibi Haldar' - disenfranchised epileptic woman finds her cure with an inexplicable yet wished for pregnancy. 'The Third and Final Continent' - After having an insightful relationship with the 100 y.o. matron who rented a room to him, young Indian man quietly establishes his life in Boston with his arranged wife.
Jhumpa Lahiri presents a good descriptive range of the Indian experience but her writing is slightly stiff, as if the author was not engaged but kept herself at a distance.
