I liked these short stories, Lahiri's first book, even better than The Namesake. They are simple, elegant, poignant, and honest.

In a way, she tells the same story over and over, the story of Indian immigrants in America. Sometimes she tells it through their children who were born and raised in the US. There are a few exceptions; in the title story, for instance, the grown American children of Indian immigrants visit India as tourists.

If that makes the stories sound boring and repetitive, no, no, no. Lahiri is emotionally sophisticated enough to shift points of view and make each story fresh. I loved them all, but if I had to pick favorites, they would be the first, "A Temporary Matter," which didn't end as I thought it would -- she also has the capacity to surprise -- and the last, "The Third and Final Continent."

I can second what my friend Jenny said: "I wish Jhumpa Lahiri were a more prolific writer, as everything of hers I've read I simply love!"