The Feeling of being Misunderstood

Each of the stories in Interpreter of Maladies deal with characters that are going through everyday life. At times finding happiness by getting over their problems (A Temporary Matter) or luck (The Treatment of Bibi Halder). At other times, their hopes and dreams gets shattered (Interpreter of Maladies).

Some of the stories, I felt, left me with a few questions unanswered. For example, in the story Mrs. Sen I couldn't figure out at the end why there was a gap between Mr. and Mrs. Sen? Is it because they don’t have many children? Or was I really missing something? Also in the story The Blessed House, how come so much treasure had been left behind by the previous owners? Jhumpa doesn't attempt to unravel the mystery behind this treasure stored in the Blessed House, but only inform her readers that this discovery leads to the relationship between the newly-wedded couples getting stressed.
Lahiri's collection of stories shows the experience of being "foreign." Her characters long for a connection, but what they find is rarely what they expected. Those trying to adapt to an unfamiliar world don't always succeed. Some are homesick, many are misunderstood. In her short store Mrs. Sen Eliot quickly becomes aware of Mrs. Sen's loneliness, her confusion in a strange new culture. She alarms him by asking: "Eliot, if I began screaming right now at the top of my lungs, would someone come?"

Overall, Jhumpa adds a little magic too her stories to catch the readers. Written in a plain and simple language, her work is a enjoyable to read.