I’ve read and loved Jhumpa Lahiri’s books in the past and this also includes her recent work, Whereabouts. There’s a certain charm and quaintness that comes with reading her stories, and one of my earliest memories of her writing was that of Unaccustomed Earth. Ever since then there has been a constant evolution in her writing style and I think it becomes sharply clear in Roman Stories. Roman Stories includes 9 stories written by her in Italian out of which three have been translated by Todd Portnowitz.

Her stories have always been unique in the sense of capturing human nature as they adapt to certain places or situations. The storyline itself doesn’t offer much but she makes us follow the characters and their lives in close proximity. In Roman Stories we see people adapting to Rome, and I say this because most of the characters are outsiders. These are immigrants or people who just chose to live in the Eternal City. We watch them navigate through the streets of Rome, making friends or lovers, some of them finding their roots in this strange city, while a few fly away overseas. Lahiri also paints a strong image of racial discrimination faced by the fictional characters, a subtle hint of hatred and anger that is directed towards them.

Divided into three sections, although it didn’t make much of a difference, these stories carry a strong sense of authenticity to them. The stories felt like they were written by a seasoned and a long time resident of Rome, so I do appreciate Lahiri’s prowess when it comes to that. But ultimately I was a bit disappointed by the book because I couldn’t find the old Lahiri’s writing style. Writing in Italian has definitely shifted her style but sadly, I’d still choose her stories from the pre Italian era.

But one can go either ways with this short story collection and I’d want you to read and see how you’d like it.