Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of 9 short stories. It is quite possibly the most interesting collection of short stories that I have ever read.Take that with a grain of salt, I haven't read that many short story collections, but still. IoM is, first and for most, stories about people. In each story Lahiri introduces the reader to characters that I was immediately intrigued by. Her ability to get the reader so invested in characters in just a few pages is amazing. Each of these stories has some connection to India, either taking place in India or dealing with individuals who are from India. These characters, however, deal with universal human emotions and experiences that make them instantly relatable. Dealing with loneliness, even when not physically alone, is one of the central themes throughout most, if not all of the stories, and the way Lahiri's different characters face it is fascinating. IoM also deals heavily with the combating of different groups and cultures, whether it be older and younger generations, men and women, or between different nations. While I enjoyed some of the stories more than others (My personal favorites were Interpreter of Maladies and The Third and Final Continent), each and everyone are complex, written splendidly, and leave you wanting more. Some end with sadness, some end with hope, but all of the stories leave you thinking.