The Namesake (2004) is the first novel by
Jhumpa Lahiri. It was originally a
novella published in
The New Yorker and was later expanded to a full-length novel. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her
Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection
Interpreter of Maladies. Moving between events in
Calcutta,
Boston, and
New York City, the novel examines the nuances involved with being caught between two conflicting cultures with highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences.