pulitzer prize 2000

the nine stories in Jhumpa Lahiri's slim volume Interpreter of Maladies speak to the heart; from "A Temporary Matter" where the distance growing between a young couple becomes a gap so wide that they begin to pave the distance between one another with the lingering pain of untold secrets -- to "The Third and Final Continent" where the strangeness of an arranged marriage is bridged through the kindness of an elderly woman.

we experience instant and familiar knowledge as we read these stories of people in the world around us. Jhumpa Lahiri reminds you of the heartbreak in the demise of relationships or what a fine line lies between the decency and discourtesy with which we treat our neighbours. or she can teach you of the cruelty of a war you may not quite grasp in a country you've never been to.

these stories are reminders of the true parts of human nature. the parts we sometimes hide.

it's good to remind ourselves, i think.

go to the brink of heartbreak and taste the possiblity of redemption with every carefully wrought tale.

this book is my staff pick.