Jhumpa Lahiri reads at Seattle Public Library

Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth. - Nathaniel Hawthorne "The Custom-House"

So begins "Unaccustomed Earth", a powerful new collection of eight beautifully crafted and memorable short stories by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, that travels from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand. Her deceptively simple yet richly detailed prose reveals a glimpse into the characters' innermost journeys and intricate workings at the heart of family life. Although they reflect another culture (dealing primarily with multi-generational immigrant experience set against traditional Bengali customs), each one pulls you in and holds you mesmerized and immersed, ultimately resulting in a universal experience filled with emotional connections that cross cultural and geographic borders.

Jhumpa Lahiri gave a reading at the Seattle Public Central Library on April 14.