Unaccustomed Earth post 2

Unaccustomed Earth  is very different from books I have read in the past. While I have read other short stories, I have never read anything quite like the stories Lahiri writes. Most stories I have read have been stories like Rip Van Winkle and To Build a Fire. Both these stories cover monumental events like falling asleep for 100 years or braving the Alaskan Wilderness in -70 degree temperatures. This is not the case for most of the stories in Unaccustomed Earth. These stories capture normal events like a visit from a relative, a wedding, or the course of a marriage. Lahiri is able to take these events and turn them into stories that capture the reader’s attention. However, not all of the stories in the book are these basic events. Some of the stories include deaths of loved ones or dealing with addiction; life altering events. While these sort of events are less of a challenge to make interesting, Lahiri does an excellent job at ensuring they will be nothing other than page turners. Her ability to bring the characters off the page and include such minute details give the reader the ability to really understand the story. Unaccustomed Earth is very unique in the topics of the stories and the thought and imagery in each of them.