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How long does it take to read Interpreter of Maladies?

Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri takes about 3 hours 52 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 3 hours 52 minutes

A weekend read

First published 1999. 211 pages, about 58,025 words.

8 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 6 hours 27 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 3 hours 52 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 2 hours 25 minutes

The page count is the median across 29 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

Title: Interpreter of Maladies. - Boston : Houghton Mifflin. "Interpreter of Maladies" is a collection of nine short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, exploring the lives of Indian and Indian-American characters who are grappling with issues of identity, displacement, and the complexities of human relationships. Here’s a brief summary of each story in the collection: "A Temporary Matter": A couple, Shoba and Shukumar, reconnect during nightly power outages, revealing secrets and grappling with the stillbirth of their child, ultimately leading to a heartbreaking revelation. "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine": A young girl, Lilia, learns about the political turmoil in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) through the eyes of Mr. Pirzada, a family friend who comes to dinner every evening while his own family is trapped in the conflict. "Interpreter of Maladies": Mr. Kapasi, a tour guide in India, develops a brief emotional connection with Mrs. Das, an Indian-American tourist, as they share personal stories during a day trip. The story ends with a poignant realization about their respective lives. "A Real Durwan": Boori Ma, a sweeper in a Calcutta apartment building, faces the consequences of the residents' sudden desire for improvement and modernization, leading to her unjust expulsion. "Sexy": Miranda, a young American woman, has an affair with a married Indian man and learns about the complexities and consequences of love and infidelity through her interactions with a young boy named Rohin. "Mrs. Sen's": An American boy named Eliot forms a bond with his Indian babysitter, Mrs. Sen, who struggles with her isolation and longing for her home country while adapting to life in the United States. "This Blessed House": Newlyweds Twinkle and Sanjeev navigate their cultural differences and relationship dynamics as they discover Christian paraphernalia in their new home, leading to tension and a deeper understanding of each other. "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar": Bibi Haldar, a woman suffering…

Subjects: East Indian Americans, Social life and customs, East Indian Americans in fiction, Nouvelles anglophones, Fiction, American Short stories

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