"In America I attended public school, where everyone wore what they wanted. And I was tormented by this choice, by this freedom".
Jhumpa Lahiri - "The Clothing of Books".
Finally, I got time to order this book. More than anything, it is a long essay, a vent or an emotional review about jackets/covers of the book. And, how authors' are left behind by publishers' for this important aspect of the book.
What author writes, feels and attaches him or herself - a cover designed solely to look beautiful and attract people at bookshop window - may take away everything from the heart of the author.
But, as brilliant she is and matured immensely over years (and a teacher of creative writing), she beautifully tagged it with the emotional dichotomy of people who spend their lives in foreign lands.
I admire her as from the very first paragraph - as she described the every morning sight of school uniforms clad children back home - she grabbed my attention and I finished the whole read in one sitting, an unusual thing for a man like me with ADHD.
"On the one hand, I want desperately to belong, to have a clear identity. On the other, I refuse to belong, and I believe that my hybrid identity enriches me. I will probably always remain torn between these two roads, these two impulses".
My review of her book in 2 lines is
Hum desi log andar se kuch aur hote hain aur
hamara cover uper se kuch aur ban jaata hai
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