The Namesake

it started, of course, with a movie trailer. i guess i was there to see Notes on a Scandal, and up came a preview for the Namesake. i only remember a father telling a son, why he gave him a name that made him stick out from the rest of the kids. a name that made him self-conscious and develop a sense of shame. so far, this story sounded like mine. the father then told the son that the person he was named after had saved him from dying in a horrible train accident. the son looked at his father and said, "do i remind you of that time? do you look at me and think of that?"

and the father said calmly, "no. you remind me of every day that followed. every day since that day has been a gift."

in the theatre, tears sprung into my eyes so fast and hard, i was shocked. and then the preview was over. i felt abandoned, left to wonder how a preview could be so effective.

this made me pick up my first fiction novel since i read Dreamcatcher by stephen king in 1999, not exactly a "novel."

and it was amazing. The Namesake is a beautiful book, so rich. not one bit of filler. i stopped reading fiction because it seemed like a waste of time. none of it real, and so much of it skippable. but then this book...was incredibly real. and not just because i am a namesake. but because it is truly brilliant. written in the first person from many different viewpoints, it flows effortlessly.

tonight i saw the movie and i have to say, it really followed the book perfectly. a few things were changed, sure, and as always, the characters' thoughts and motivations, so clear in print, were missing. but wow.

i highly recommend picking it up. it appeals to the alienation everyone feels at some point or another, usually as a kid, especially those of us who have rebelled tremendously against our parents and against tradition. for me, it was southern tradition. and just like the character in the book, i learned otherwise.

i wish i could tell my grandmother, but my mom will do. we three have the same name and i am grateful. for fear of getting super sapped out, i will stop with a recommendation.

except to say, i think i'm back on fiction. all the memoirs in the world can't add up to something so pure, so beautifully told.

(i can't wait to give it to my mom on mother's day with a big fat bouquet of roses. god knows she doesn't get enough of them. and hurts a little from the fact that i have always completely disregarded my original name.)