Review: In Other Words

In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: A series of journal entries in a foreign language that Jhumpa tries to make her own.

This is Jhumpa releasing her journal entries as she tackles with trying to tackle a new language and make her own. Whilst she wrote the entries in Italian, this is a translation of it and you can see the rudimentary flow adding a touch of authenticity of a nascent attempt at writing in a language. Though the set of entries focus on her longing to make Italian her own and the vulnerabilities she faces dealing with a strange language and land. It is an introspection exercise she has taken for herself.

There is a freshness to see an established writer share their desperation and vulnerabilities but it becomes a journal entry too many where she tries to share the same emotions from different perspectives. The obsession and the hard work she goes through to master Italian is a good reminder of the struggles.

View all my reviews