Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Knopf
Pub Date: 10/10/2023

Thank you to Knopf for the free advanced paperback copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of nine short stories that dive into the complexities of life in Rome, where the city itself becomes a central character. Lahiri explores themes of immigration, cultural clashes, and the search for belonging through vivid narratives set in the heart of the Italian capital which is translated from Italian by the author and Todd Portnowitz.

I went into Roman Stories not really knowing what it was about, but I was glad to see it was collection of short stories much like much like Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth (my all-time favorite) and Interpreter of Malladies. I had mixed feelings about this one. I always admired the depth of emotion that Jhumpa captures in her writing as she did in her previous works. However, I found that couldn’t connect with this boo the way I did with her previous works. P’s Parties was my favorite and resonated with me the most. The others were a bit unmemorable to me. I found the audiobook to be great because there was a cast of narrators. If you decide to read it, it’s more similar to Whereabouts.