Play Book Tag discussion

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri - 4* - My Review

An unnamed forty-something woman narrates the story of a short period in her life in an Italian city. She lives alone, apparently by choice. She tells of the people she knows and the places she goes. The reader follows her as she experiences the sights and sounds around her – at coffee bars, restaurants, museums, parks, piazzas, and streets. We meet her colleagues, friends, former romantic interests, acquaintances, and a few strangers. She experiences a stream of (mostly) negative thoughts. She has had an unhappy childhood. Her relationship with her mother is strained and her father died when she was a teen.

The storyline is one of a series of short scenes that provide an overall impression of the narrator’s situation and personality. It is a deep character study. The tone is melancholy. It is atmospheric and contemplative. There is no plot. The character relates her thoughts as she goes about her days and occasionally reflects on past events. This is a book for those who enjoy reading beautiful prose. I do not need a book of non-stop action, far from it, but I think it could have used a few set pieces where something significant happens to the narrator so we can see how she reacts.