'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri - Book Club Discussion Questions

Jhumpa Lahiri is one of today’s most acclaimed writers, having won a Pulitzer Prize for her first collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. Her placid, poetic writing is back in another collection of stories, Unaccustomed Earth.

Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. Finish the book before reading on.

1. Why do you think Lahiri chose to write the final three stories about the same two characters?

2. In “Hell-Heaven,” what did you think about the revelation that the mother had nearly killed herself in her backyard?

3. Do you think Sudha in “Only Goodness” blamed herself for her brother’s drinking? Do you think she should have blamed herself?

4. Why do you think Lahiri titled the last story “Going Ashore”?

5. Rate Unaccustomed Earth on a scale of 1 to 5.