Whereabouts Review

By Nic Daniels

Happy Spring, audacious readers!

We are finally getting longer days and more sunlight, which gives us the perfect excuse to read our books of the month outside. Last month, we celebrated Black History Month with two poetry volumes, Ain’t Never Not Been Black by Javon Johnson and Helium by Rudy Francisco. This month, we’re shaking off shadows left over from the winter season with Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Whereabouts, originally written in Italian, is a story about an unnamed Indian woman in an unnamed Italian town living a solitary life as a professor for a local university. The narrator has reached a standstill in her life. It’s a stable life but not necessarily a fulfilling one. She isn’t sure what the next step or change of her life should be, and we follow her day-to-day life as she figures it out.

This novel is the epitome of a slice of life story. It immerses us into our narrator’s life one moment at a time, from jumping hours to sometimes weeks between each chapter. We can be with her friends or at her job or just in her home as she does chores. Where it breaks away from a normal slice of life is that usually these types of stories have a more upbeat or idyllic tone. In comparison, Whereabouts is very realistic with our narrator experiencing beautiful moments or a personal revelation mixed with her fears and doubts.

While some people may not like the lack of escapism, I enjoy it. I like how everything is personal. There’s nothing done for plot convenience or to shock her. Even the “big revelation” she has is really just her growing over time and making a decision, which can be the hardest thing to do when everything in your life is working the way it’s “supposed” to. I related to her dissatisfaction and her struggles to fix it. When you recognize that you’re not where you want to be, solving it is not as simple as escaping to the countryside for a while or switching things up. There’s a bigger, harder reality of trying to change your mindset.

It also made her happier moments, especially towards the end of the book, more satisfying than it would’ve been otherwise. Because we went through her unsatisfying relationships with other people, it was great to see her have fun in her house by herself. It was great to see her gain peace of mind when she finally accepts the relationships in her life as they were. Probably what I loved most was when the narrator said she was always moving. Even when it feels like everything is standing still in our lives, we’re moving. Maybe up or down or backwards but eventually, it will lead to the same direction: forward.

Hope you guys enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel and got a chance to sit with yourself while doing it. If you did, what did you discover about yourself? Do you prefer being in your own company or being with other people? Let me know all your thoughts!

Until next time, don’t forget to read audaciously!