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Analysis Of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowland

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Jhumpa Lahiri’s new novel, “The Lowland” describes the worlds of the familiar, the exotic, the best of human nature and the most selfish inhabit. Miss Lahiri’s tale of two places and one tormented family, unable to speak to one another due to their mutual anguish, is a masterful accomplishment. The lowland is her second novel after The namesake. Lahiri has won many awards and honors which include “The Pulitzer Prize” in 2000, “The Transatlantic Review” Award from the Henfield Foundation, “The Louisiana Review” Award for Short Fiction, the “O. Henry” Award for Best American Short Stories, the PEN/Hemingway Award, “The New Yorker Debut of the Year” Award and “The American Academy of Arts and Letters” Award. Lahiri also received a nomination for the LA Times Book prize as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002.
Understanding the Title
The lowland in question is in a section of Calcutta called Tollygunge. When it rains, the lowland gets filled with water that remains for a portion of the year. “The flooded plain was thick with water hyacinth which grew aggressively. Its leaves caused the surface to appear solid. Green in contrast to the blue of the sky.” Water, sky and earth are integral parts of this remarkable, profound novel which reveals a complex emotional adaptation to the ramifications of a tragedy.
Outline
Central to the story is the close childhood relationship between Subhash and his younger brother, Udayan, born in Tollygunge. Born just fifteen months apart,

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