Beth F
bermudaonion (Kathy)
Jennifer
Michelle
Sandy
One More Year: Stories – Book Review
One More Year: Stories by Sana Krasikov
Release date: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
You know what I hate? When people say, “he/she is the next (insert name of famous author here)” or “the (insert ethnicity/gender/etc) (insert name of famous writer).” As in, Sana Krasikov is the Ukranian/Georgian Jhumpa Lahiri. Except, the thing is, Krasikov’s book of stories, “One More Year” really DID evoke Lahiri’s work for me. In fact, I have not read such fantastic short stories since”Interpreter of Maladies” (to be fair to Lahiri, I have not yet read her newest book, “Unaccustomed Earth,” which I hear is absolutely phenomenal).
Just as Lahiri deals with Indian immigrants, the majority of Krasikov’s stories involved immigrants from Ukraine, Georgia, or Russia. Occasionally the action happened in both the home country and the United States. This work dealt a broad range of aspects of the immigrant experience, including finding love and knowing oneself when your life has been uprooted. These stories were universally pretty depressing, perhaps all the more because they rang true. However, each also ended with at least a glimmer of, if not hope, then self-realization.
I have started liking short stories more and more, but I generally still don’t enjoy them as much as novels. Usually either the characters aren’t as developed as I would like in that short amount of time, or there is no closure at the end of the story. I didn’t feel that either of those things was a problem in even one of Krasikov’s stories. I felt that I understood each of her main characters and was satisfied with seeing that part of their life in each case.
In case I’m not making myself clear, I L.O.V.E.D. this book. LOVED it. If you have read and enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri, please go preorder this book NOW so you can get it next Tuesday when it is released!
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Thank you for this review for two reasons: a heads up on a good collection of short stories and more information on other novels by Jhumpa Lahiri other than The Namesake. I read TN and it was okay, but by the end I was glad that the novel was ending I was tired of it. I will check out Interpreter of Maladies. If you loved it, it has to be good.
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And definitely read Unaccustomed Earth! I reviewed it here and it was indeed phenomenal. The big difference I found between Lahiri and Krasikov is that Krasikov’s stories seemed a lot more hopeful. Lahiri’s characters sometimes seem unable to pull themselves out of bad situations, and while Krasikov’s characters don’t always solve their problems, I felt more optimistic about it. (My review of One More Year is here.)
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Jennifer – “The Namesake” is good, but Lahiri’s short stories are much, much better than her novel, definitely read “Interpreter of Maladies” or “Unaccustomed Earth.”
Lisa – You’re right, Krasikov’s stories do have much more hope than Lahiri’s (and don’t worry, I have EVERY intention of reading “Unaccustomed Earth”). That is what surprised me so much when I saw people stating that these stories were too depressing. They must not have read (or at least enjoyed) any Lahiri. I was impressed that there was at least a glimmer of humanity and hope at the end of each of these stories.
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I’m still hoping to get this one from Shelf Awareness!! It looks wonderful. Thanks for the review
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Sounds good…maybe I should jump back into a reading binge with this collection!
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I don’t mind comparison with other writers, in fact I think it’s great, but I agree I don’t like when someone says an author is an “insert race or gender” “other writer” or the next “insert famous author”.
I loved Interpreter of Maladies, so if this one is similar but the stories are more hopeful, I will definitely add it to my TBR.
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and yet another book gets added to the ever-growing TBR list. I *heart* Jhumpa Lahiri, and Unaccustomed Earth is so beautiful. Thanks for a great recommendation.
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Lol if I didn’t already have a copy of this I would have preordered it after reading your review! It definitely was amazing.
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I LOVE Jhumpa Lahiri! I also loved your review! I just added this book to my TBR. Also, I am adding your blog to my Google reader and blog roll. It looks like we have a lot of simular tastes in books.
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