'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 the title story, how has Ruma fallen into the same pattern as her mother? In what ways has she broken the mold? What do you think lies ahead for her marriage and family?

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

4. What accommodations did the characters in "A Choice of Accommodations" make in their lives?
5. Do you think Sudha in “Only Goodness” should have blamed herself for her brother’s drinking?

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

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