Reading Deeper into the Ganguli Family's Life (IR)

        I am now about two-thirds through The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. For the most part I am still enjoying the book, but there was this super long stretch where I just got bored with the content. The beginning had lot's of things happening very quickly and time gaps further boosted the pace of the story. Once Gogol was in his late twenties, however, Lahiri slowed down the pace a lot. This wouldn't be a bad thing, as it provides more development for certain aspects of Gogol's character, except for the fact that the events within this section of the book just weren't as compelling to read. It didn't help that I got annoyed with some of the characters - mainly Gogol and Maxine. I really have enjoyed the parts about Gogol's parents. They're own life story is interesting to read about. Lahiri hasn't really focused in on Sonia as much as the other characters, and I kind of wish that she would, simply to retain a sense of balance and understanding of the Ganguli family in its entirety. On the other hand, her personal life is not as relevant to the main story line, which encompasses Gogol and his own experiences throughout life.
        The boring section in the book did end after a while though. When Gogol's father dies from a heart attack, the plot takes a new turn. So many things start happening as the family struggles to adjust to the sudden death of of their beloved family member. Although it was devastating or the characters, I feel like they almost needed something like this to happen, just to get their lives together again. Ashima was too dependent on everyone else and needed to learn how to stand on her own two feet, at least with a little less support. Sonia felt very distant throughout the novel, very rarely appearing to take part in the family's main story line. By moving back to help her mother, Sonia could pick up past relationships and establish a better connection with her family.
        And then there's Gogol. Gogol had been drifting through life, simply trying to find an escape from his family's history and beliefs. By constantly pushing himself away from those that he truly knew, Gogol was concealing the truth that he loved his family and its traditions more than he wanted to admit. This shows when he starts pushing away from Maxine and connecting better with his mother and sister, as well as honoring his father's memories with a melancholy persona. So, even though it's heart-wrenching to lose a family member in the blink of an eye, I feel like Gogol's character especially needed such a tragedy to occur in order to stop making lame excuses and feats of denial and finally accept who he is, the background he is from, and the type of person he wants to be. Therefore, I think that this event will slowly lead to a resolution for the various conflicts in the novel. So, I guess I'll see where the story leads next.