Response to Jhumpa Lahiri's "Once in a Lifetime"

“Once in a lifetime” is a fairly simply written narrative about an Indian family moving from India back to the United States. We do not find out until the end about the motives of moving back, but the story uses a good sense of slight turmoil and irritation to build tension within the household between the two families. Although there is specific and a scarce amount of dialogue, it seems to work well with emphasizing the points it’s trying to convey. 

Something I would like to try using more in my writing that was present in this piece was the use of a literary device, in this case a bottle of whiskey. Most of the time I have read amateur work alcohol is either over done or thrown in for no reason. In this piece it is mentioned just enough that the reader wonders why the family is drinking it, and after the ending, realizes its purpose and effectiveness. 

I wanted to see more from the crush of the daughter on the other families son. I thought that it would possibly mean something deeper, but after the ending it seemed minute. I appreciated the flow of the writing and how easy and logical the story read, it provided enough detail to understand that the narrator is a shy and almost unnatural individual if your comparing her to an average American, but at the same time she is curious and shows development from start to finish.

Overall, I really enjoyed how the characters finally connected at the end and how certain instances made more sense after realizing that the mother has breast cancer. The writing style worked for me and may be something I would be willing to try on my own, writing in this easy going methodical format.