1. Podcasts
  2. Off Air with Jane & Fi
  3. Book Club - Interpreter of Maladies
Off Air with Jane & Fi

6 Aug 2026 · 32m · 12 chapters

Episode artwork

Book Club - Interpreter of Maladies

In short

Book Club discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, focusing on why short stories work, Lahiri’s background and language choices, and standout stories/themes (immigration, identity, prejudice, grief, and small observational details).

Guests

Laura Hackett, Deputy Literary Editor and Fiction Editor at The Times and Sunday Times; hosts Jane and Fee (not fully profiled in transcript).

Guest backgrounds

Hackett is a fiction editor with expertise in books and short-story craft; she discusses her own reading habits and short-story preferences.

Key claims

Short stories require every word to count and can deliver quick, intense conclusions; Lahiri is the youngest Pulitzer Prize winner for a short story collection (won at 32); writing in Italian changed her productivity but limits English-world reach.

Notable examples

“A Temporary Matter” (stillbirth; bleak but surprising ending); “A Real Durwan” (stair-dusting homeless woman; prejudice and imagined backstory); “Interpreter of Maladies” (title origin via overheard phrase); “Mrs. Sen’s” (immigration/difficulty driving, childminder perspective); “The Third and Final Continent” (immigration courage; uplifting ending).

Written by AI. May contain mistakes.

Chapters

4:24

Discussing Short Stories

Exploring the nature and appeal of short stories versus novels.

5:24

Jhumpa Lahiri's Background

Delving into Jhumpa Lahiri's life, influences, and her literary journey.

“in the world or if it fits particular journeys or sometimes when I've read too much and I just need a pinprick I don't I just can't take another great big book on board.”
7:12

Impact of 'Interpreter of Maladies'

Discussion on standout stories from the collection and their emotional impact.

“It's often a way for writers to kind of cut their teeth, especially in terms of getting them published.”
9:50

Character Exploration and Themes

Exploring characters' struggles and themes in Lahiri's stories.

“Bengali was something that she never felt that she fully owned because she couldn't read or write Bengali.”
14:00

Exploring Favorite Stories from Interpreter of Maladies

Discussion of personal favorite stories from the book and their themes.

“Well, I'm going to bring in Jacob in Bristol because I share my favourite with Jacob, who says, I made it to the end of the Book Club book.”
20:31

Insights on Jhumpa Lahiri's Writing

Discussion on Jhumpa Lahiri's writing style, character perspectives, and personal backgrounds.

“Do you know, Laura, if she wrote all of the stories at the same kind of time or is there a collection from her writings over several years?”
22:49

Themes of Immigration and Identity

Exploration of themes related to immigration, identity, and emotional narratives in the stories.

“a full hour or so to read each story in one sitting, often staying awake way past my bedtime just to finish it.”
28:00

Emotional Storytelling in 'Interpreter of Maladies'

Discussion on the emotional depth and relatable themes in the book.

“I mean, it is always told through emotion, not through great big political stamps, really.”
29:20

Short Stories and Their Impact

Exploration of the impact of short stories on readers and learning.

“I'm not usually a short storier, but this book left me wanting to know more with every single story.”
30:36

Recommendations for Short Story Collections

Hosts share and discuss their favorite short story collections and authors.

“It's written in normal sentences with full stops and speech marks and everything that we like.”
Show all 12 chapters
32:49

Diving into American Literature

Discussion on classic American literature and authors, including listener recommendations.

“So the Lauren Groff short story collection is called Brawler.”
35:09

Looking Ahead to Future Book Club Picks

Hosts discuss future book club selections and upcoming author releases.

A man walking through an airport, asking his phone a question

Ask about this episode

Get the gist, explore an idea or ask about something said.

Claude

On Off Air with Jane & Fi, what are the key points of this episode?

Searching your listening

Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Your heart can tell you a lot about your health. Apple Watch Series 12 measures your heart rate every five seconds with the most advanced heart rate sensing in an Apple Watch. So your vitals app, now with heart rate variability, could tell you when something is off. And your readiness score can let you know when to rest and when to push. Hear the story in every heartbeat with Apple Watch Series 12. For general wellness purposes only, not intended for clinical use or to detect, diagnose, monitor or treat medical conditions. requires iPhone 11 or later. Therapy's biggest impact doesn't show up in some dramatic breakthrough.

0:34It shows up in the smallest moments. You bite your tongue instead of escalating. You put your phone down instead of firing off that text. You say what you actually mean instead of what would hurt someone else the most. Nobody applauds those moments, but they quietly change your life. That's what growing feels like. And that's exactly what Grow Therapy is here for. Grow is therapy that works, covered by insurance. Sessions average$21 with insurance, and some pay as little as$0, depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality, licensed therapists across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends.

1:18You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability. And you can book a therapy session in minutes and begin in as little as two days, not the national 48-day average. See if you could pay as little as$0 for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com slash ACAST. That's growtherapy.com slash ACAST. growtherapy.com slash ACAST. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. If you felt stuck trying to lose weight, you're not alone. Enter Weight Loss by HERS. It's designed to support you in reaching your goals. And HERS now offers access to an affordable range of FDA approved GLP-1 medications, including the WeGovi pill and the WeGovi pen.

2:03Even better, with a range of affordable GLP-1 options, HERS makes it simple to find an approach that fits your needs and your budget. If eligible, you'll get a treatment plan personalized to you and unlimited dosage changes as needed. It's weight loss designed to work with your life. Ready to reach your goals? Visit forhers.com slash eligible to get personalized affordable care that gets you. That's F-O-R-H-E-R-S dot com slash eligible. Forhers.com slash eligible. Weight loss by HERS is not available in all 50 states. Wegovi is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk AS. To get started and learn more, including important safety information, Wegovi clinical study information, and restrictions, visit forhers.com.

2:57Welcome to book club number something. I think maybe 11, maybe 12. Let's big up our intellectual reading capacity. Welcome to book club number 264. We do one a week. We are discussing The Interpreter of Maladies by Jumper Lahiri, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. in our company, in our studio. We have Laura Hackett. If anybody knows anything about books, it's Laura. Hello. That's a big claim. Yeah, take it. But thank you. Take it. No, you really do. You really do. And you've got a new title, haven't you? So just tell everybody. I mean, I'm serious, because we're quite new to the newspaper world environment.

3:38We don't fully understand the importance of titles, do we? No, but they're very specific, Jane, aren't they? Yes, and I know they mean a lot. So what are your titles? My titles, I am Deputy Literary Editor and Fiction Editor of The Times and Sunday Times. You're editor of fiction. Yes, in a way. I mean, you say they mean a lot. I think the titles, as you say, are very specific, but I often think they don't really relate that much to what people do. Is there a non-fiction editor? No, exactly. This is the point. Already, we've hit something here. So at what point does Fiction Editor become meaningless?

4:17Maybe at this point. Let's not talk it down. It sounds like the most fantastic title. Thank you. I mean, people just say Jane and Fee, they're on between two and four. I mean, there's no title at all. So I think just own all of your titles. That's even better. That's like Madonna. It's just a name. No, do you know what? It's lovely of you to say that. It's so not like that. But bless you. Bless you, bless you. But I bet, in all seriousness, if 10 years ago someone had told the young Laura that these would be your titles, you'd be pretty pleased wouldn't you i would that is true i would be absolutely delighted we are so chuffed that you're here uh and interpret it of maladies um was i already said it was going to be a challenge for me because i'm not keen on the short story i can't remember what you said about short stories do you like them normally yes and would you seek them out so i do seek them out but i'd be interested uh to know laura whether you do the same thing that i choose a short story book for a very different type of reading to a novel so i'm not looking for it to fulfill the space in my head and my heart that novels do.

5:17I go to short stories when I know that my bandwidth is tiny because there's loads of other stuff going on in the world or if it fits particular journeys or sometimes when I've read too much and I just need a pinprick I don't I just can't take another great big book on board. What do you read short stories for? I've been on a little bit of a journey with short stories in that a few years ago I would say I would kind of never pick up a collection of short stories. I think I got quite frustrated that you would you know you'd really get involved in this character in their life and then they'd kind of disappear and you'd be on to someone else and it's quite I think it is quite tiring actually for your brain to constantly figure out the new situation you've been put in.

6:05So I don't necessarily go to it for relaxing, but over the past kind of year, I've been reading more and more short stories and I just, I've been really, really enjoying them. And I think part of what I enjoy about them so much is their intensity, the fact that every single word has to count in a short story, if it's a good short story and there are kind of levels of poignancy that I think you do get in a novel but maybe right at the end after you've spent weeks reading it whereas here you can sit down in a morning and you know half an hour 45 minutes an hour later you still get that same sense of conclusion of satisfaction um so yeah I really enjoyed these ones but I I've become I think a short story fan.

6:53And do quite a lot of writers of very good novels also write short stories? Because this is Jhumpa Lahiri's place in the world, isn't it? And I know that Claire Keegan has amazing short stories as well at the moment. But is it the norm that a writer can and will do both? I think it's fairly normal. It's often a way for writers to kind of cut their teeth, especially in terms of getting them published. If you're a kind of would-be writer if you get a short story published I mean in The New Yorker that's amazing. What does that do for you then? Is it particularly The New Yorker? That's the kind of the ultimate prestige slot.

7:32If you get a short story published in The New Yorker publishers really pay attention and oftentimes it's a way for writers who are very well known to kind of work on ideas. I mean writers like Anne Enright, Tessa Hadley they've had lots of stories published in the New Yorker and those stories then often turn into full length novels but I do think it's a different craft and I think I was reading some interviews that Jim Budlehiri had done and she was talking about how it's a different way of writing altogether so you're not necessarily if you're a good novelist also going to be a good short story writer I don't think No, but I think you've already explained why it is that I'm reluctant to get involved with short stories.

8:17It's because I'm intellectually incredibly lazy. And I think you've spoken so powerfully, actually, and you've illustrated why you're occupying the roles that you occupy, because you really get this stuff. And I suppose I'm just selfish. I think if I do like the characters, then I want to know more about them. And I feel as though they're being snatched away from me. But anyway, shall we just talk a bit about Jhumpa Lahiri? She was born in London from an Indian family, and now she lives, I gather, in Rome. What else do you know about her? So, yeah, she was born in London, but her family moved to the US when she was only three years old, and she grew up in Rhode Island.

8:56Her father worked as a university librarian, and, in fact, one of the short stories in this book, the final one called The Third and Final Continent, is actually kind of based on his life and in his arrival. in the West. And yeah, she's got a really interesting relationship with language because growing up, her family would have spoken Bengali. And so she can understand it and can speak it, but she can't read it because it was never written down. It was always just family conversations. She obviously grew up reading and writing English. And as you say, she quite recently, I think sort of 2012 time, she moved with her husband and children to Rome and has since learned Italian to the extent that she now writes her books in Italian.

9:42Wow. So, and she did this really interesting interview where she talked about how English was something that was kind of forced upon her, I guess, in a way. Bengali was something that she never felt that she fully owned because she couldn't read or write Bengali. But Italian was the language that she kind of chose. And so in a way, she says she feels more at home in Italian than any other language. That's quite something, isn't it? It's incredible. And I bet that when she writes in Italian, it's every bit as lyrical and wonderful as the other languages that she has undoubtedly mastered in her time.

10:17When we say winner of the Pulitzer Prize for the short stories, is that rare? It is quite rare. I think it was only the seventh collection of short stories to ever win the Pulitzer. And she was at that point and still remains the youngest ever winner of the Pulitzer her prize i think she was only 32 when it won um so that's a real real achievement yeah which makes me wonder why she's not better known because i don't i mean i know a bit about when i read a lot um but i i'd never heard of her is that that's my bad i guess no she's not particularly prolific she went on to write another two novels in english one of which um did well it was um shortlisted for the Booker Prize, made into a film.

11:01The other one, it did reasonably well, but again, as you say, she hasn't broken through. And the weird thing is that in Italian, she's become much more prolific. But because she's writing in Italian, it maybe doesn't break through to the English-speaking and reading world. And lucky Italians. Yeah. So if we were to ask you what has stayed with you from the short stories, are there any in particular that really cut through? yeah I think that's kind of the test in a way of a short story collection because some short story collections I read and it you close them it's all a bit of a mush it's sort of like oh I got a vibe from those but nothing really stood out whereas here there really were a few that stood out for me so the first one a temporary matter which is a story of um a husband and wife uh who are living in the states but they're um as as with many of the the characters in fact perhaps all of the characters they're um indian immigrants it's all really about the the relationship between your homeland and between and america but they're they're living in the states and uh they get this letter in the post that every night that week the electricity is going to go off because they're doing works on it or whatever so they're going to have no lights in the house from 8 p.m onwards and they end up developing this little ritual where they light candles and they have these conversations and they confess things to each other and over the course of those confessions we the reader um discover that um they actually suffered from a stillbirth not very long ago and that that has completely changed how their relationship works and it looks as though this week of not having electricity in the evenings and these little chats that they have are going to maybe be a breakthrough in the relationship and and and help them to heal and actually i was really shocked by the ending because the ending is completely different to that and not what i expected and i think she just did that so well because it was a genuine surprise to me i don't know what the two of you felt about it bleak though isn't it yeah it's so bleak i found that so sad But quite a few of the stories are quite bleak, and I was thinking whether or not it would be better if they have uplifting endings.

13:16And actually, the end of the book, spoiler alert, but everyone's read it, hopefully, is more uplifting than, I think, the beginning. I'm not sure. I think if she had put a very lovely, comforting story right at the beginning, it would have put me off reading more. Yeah, I suppose that's probably true. What that short story did illustrate was that their suffering was, they were both suffering, but they were suffering individually. He certainly wasn't suffering any less than she was. And you wanted to believe that the whole tragedy would have brought them together. But as we all know, life's just not like that.

13:53And so many couples are so changed by an experience as tough as that one that they don't ever get together and stay together again. It's stayed with you. Yeah, no, it hasn't. Yes, it did. It did. But I suppose, yeah, what am I saying? There are other stories that stay. Which is your favourite story? Well, I'm going to bring in Jacob in Bristol because I share my favourite with Jacob, who says, I made it to the end of the Book Club book. I thought it was brilliant. Some of these stories will really stay with me. My favourite story was the one about the homeless lady dusting the stairs. So this is, the story is called A Real Derwan, and it's about Bury Ma, sweeper of the stairwell.

14:36And do you know what? There's so much in that about prejudice, isn't there? And the fact that she has her dream and metaphorically it's at the end of her sash, isn't it? And she swirls it around. She's got a kind of pocket handkerchief. When I read that description, I thought it's very much like Dick Whittington that we always see in the pantomime. You know, the stick over the shoulder with all your worldy goods. It's just not safe to carry a worldy goods it's not hanky on a stick but you know she's she's being dutiful in a new life that's being enforced upon her and then she decides to just go and do something for herself and it comes back to really beyond bite her on the bum and i thought so much was packed into that story i mean it's one of the shorter ones in the book i think and but also for me one of the more frustrating again back to the whole business of the short story i wanted to know how that woman had got there i wanted to know did she have wealth in her past what was her backstory why was she now so impoverished and so alone and we don't we didn't we didn't know we don't but it's so interesting Jane because that's exactly what I didn't want to know I loved the fact that she she was just portrayed in the moment that we're quartering and it was up to us to determine whether or not she'd made up her backstory you know to give her comfort or to just make her look better in front of the new people who are having their posh basins installed in their flats.

16:02I mean, there's so much detail in that. But it just comes back to your expectations, doesn't it? Whether or not you're the type of person who wants a story to be brief and leave an awful lot to the imagination, or whether you just want to read a long-form book. Should we do some quickies? Giselle says, I really enjoyed Interpreter of Maladies, so I look forward to hearing the thoughts of others on the subject. I am loving the book club read says rosie in sheffield and wendy says i've just finished the current book club choice i'm not really a great fan of a short story and i've now passed on this excellent collection to a friend in the village for her upcoming trip to provence i mean i can't think it's exactly our type of listener honestly can't love that uh who else loved it oh sonia sonia loved it too she says absolutely loved it um what was your favorite of the stories or have you already told us a temporary matter i think was my favorite but i did also really love the the title story interpreter of maladies apparently i listened to a very short i did a bit of research last night i listened to some youtube yes i did and it's an interview with jumper and she said that she'd simply overheard somebody else saying interpreter of maladies and wrote it in just using that phrase so she wrote it in a notebook and thought i'll use it one day well good for her being honest about that yeah no so i thought yes that's that's very clever i sometimes hear things and think i must write that down of course i don't because i'm not a pull it surprise winner and she is um my favorite for what it's worth was the last one um but i also quite liked sexy and one of the great things about this writer is her absolutely minute observations about things that most of us would not even regard as significant enough to think about ever again.

17:50And it was just one thing she said about a slinky dress the woman had bought for her lover and how it would always fall off the coat hanger and lie around in the bottom of the wardrobe. And I just thought, yeah, I've got stuff like that. I've got loads of, I've got various blouses that are never on a hanger for more than two minutes. And you just find them, don't you, at the bottom of the wardrobe. But also, I agree with you about that. And it just painted the most fantastic picture of a life locked into a cupboard. You know, it's not really who you are, but you've got this stack of kind of imagined longings that are just hidden away from view.

18:32Your heart can tell you a lot about your health. Apple Watch Series 12 measures your heart rate every five seconds with the most advanced heart rate sensing in an Apple Watch so your vitals app now with heart rate variability could tell you when something is off and your readiness score can let you know when to rest and when to push hear the story in every heartbeat with Apple Watch Series 12 for general wellness purposes only not intended for clinical use or to detect, diagnose, monitor or treat medical conditions requires iPhone 11 or later If you felt stuck trying to lose weight, you're not alone.

19:05Enter Weight Loss by HERS. It's designed to support you in reaching your goals. And HERS now offers access to an affordable range of FDA-approved GLP-1 medications, including the WeGovi pill and the WeGovi pen. Even better, with a range of affordable GLP-1 options, HERS makes it simple to find an approach that fits your needs and your budget. If eligible, you'll get a treatment plan personalized to you and unlimited dosage changes as needed. It's weight loss designed to work with your life. Ready to reach your goals? Visit ForHERS.com slash eligible to get personalized, affordable care that gets you.

19:39That's F-O-R-H-E-R-S dot com slash eligible. ForHERS.com slash eligible. Weight loss by HERS is not available in all 50 states. WeGovi is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk AS. To get started and learn more, including important safety information, Wegovi clinical study information and restrictions. Visit ForHers.com. A BetterHelp ad. After my session and talking to my therapist and really feeling seen and heard for the first time, I just felt like a weight just was lifted off of my shoulders. And I felt like it was a good match from the first time we talked. I could tell people from lived experience that they should try therapy.

20:18I could really be myself again. And I have this continued support with BetterHelp. Wherever you are, that's where BetterHelp begins. Visit betterhelp.com slash random podcast to get started. Paid testimonials. Results may vary. When did she write these? Do you know, Laura, if she wrote all of the stories at the same kind of time or is there a collection from her writings over several years? As you mentioned, she's still pretty young. Yeah, although she didn't start writing, she wasn't one of those writers you hear about where they've been scribbling constantly since they could basically walk she did write I think a short story at school but then nothing really until she was 30 and that's when she wrote um one of the books one of the stories in this maybe interpreter of maladies um and then between 30 and 32 I think she pretty much wrote them all she said that she wanted to have a normal job and she decided she was going to be an English professor and she did a load of degrees and then as part of that she just realized actually what I want to do is write and I've been sort of stopping myself from doing that so she really started writing properly at 30 so to start at 30 and win the Pulitzer at 32 is not bad going.

21:38Yeah it's not bad going it's a nice phrase it's a nice way of putting it. Liz from Coventry also sometimes from Enfield says once again the book club has enabled me to read a book which I would otherwise not have read and I feel better for it. Like Jane, I was somewhat hesitant about the idea of a collection of short stories, but I jumped into the first story with enthusiasm and realised I love being thrown quickly into a story and characters within a few paragraphs rather than the usual three chapters of scene setting, which often happens in novels. At the end of the first story, I was left wanting more, wanting to know what happens to the characters in the years to come but maybe that's the point they have stayed with me in a way that many characters in novels pass through and I don't give them a second thought having finished the first story I then realized that my usual motivation for continuing to pick up a novel is to find out how the story ends and so the usual pull to pick the book up wasn't there however as a diligent member of the book club well done Liz from Coventry sometimes from Enfield I did pick it up again and launched into the next story.

22:42I then found, rather than finding 20 minutes here and there to read the book, as would be my usual approach, I wanted to set aside a full hour or so to read each story in one sitting, often staying awake way past my bedtime just to finish it. I can honestly say each story has given me real food for thought. I often find myself pausing to think about one of the characters or story. Having finished the book, it now has pride of place in my guest room as the perfect bedside read for visitors. What a lovely idea. It's a great idea, isn't it? What a great idea. And actually, lovely idea in hotels to pop a short story collection next to the bed.

23:20You know, sometimes you'll go to hotels and they've bought old books by the yard and, you know, you'll find yourself awake with hotel insomnia at 2.30 in the morning and you've got to reach for a John Buchan. I think actually pop this by the bed. Sorry, I mean, perhaps we should do, should we do the 39 steps? Well, no, I mean, John Buchan's great, but a short story would be better, wouldn't it? Yeah, it would. You wouldn't have to get stuck in for hours. It really would. Anne says, Anne's in County Durham, I thought the writing was so beautiful. It reminded me very much of reading Anne Tyler, where the simplest phrase can just convey such a lot.

23:54A couple of examples I picked out are this one, when the rain came slapping across the roof like a boy in slippers too big for him. It's brilliant, isn't it? That's gorgeous, that. and the description of a woman with nostrils so slim that they appear to have been pinched by a clothespin. Okay, what would that entail? By a clothespin. A peg. Oh, I said clothespin. Yeah. Well, that ruined it. I'll do that one again for you, Anne, and indeed for Jumper. A woman with nostrils so slim that they appear to have been pinched by a clothespin. Got it. The problem I had was that so many of these stories just left me feeling sad and reading one after the other became rather difficult to handle.

24:41If read in isolation, I don't think that would be such a problem. The final story, The Third and Final Continent, seemed to be heading the same way but then it had a lovely, uplifting ending which made me heave a sigh of relief. I will definitely try to read another novel by Jhumpa Lahiri and I've added her name to my ever-growing list of authors recommended by the podcast. and very best wishes to you and thank you for taking the time to read this and to email um the third and final continent is is it the only story from a male perspective well the first one a temporary matter the most of it is from the husband's perspective i think so it's not the only one but it does feel quite unusual because it feels very personal in a way that the others maybe have slightly more distance between you and the character with this it's like you really are him which I guess is interesting because it's the one that seems to be most based upon her own family history yeah I thought it was so important that final story at the moment with all the talk about immigration and those of us who are quite rooted in one country and have been here for you know I don't know a couple of three or four generations whatever it is um I sometimes think we don't fully understand the courage required to up sticks and move, as the narrator in that third and final story had done.

26:02Born in India, came to London, then went to the States. I mean, the guts required, whatever you think of immigration. And I know people have very strong feelings and I understand why, because lives are lost and some very unscrupulous people make money. But it's so important that we try and get our heads around the real courage of people who've had to make lives somewhere else. And I think what's so interesting about these stories is that they're kind of like a history book without the actual needing to read a history book. So we were talking about that story, a real Derwan about Burima, the staircase sweeper.

26:43and I feel like you learn so much about partition and its effects on people by sort of being put in the shoes of this one person and how it's affected her whether or not she was wealthy beforehand but the fact that she's talking over and over and over again about it certainly implies there's been some sort of great distressing thing that's happened to her with partition it just it made me understand it so much more than I think just reading a textbook would. I completely agree and in fact I think all of the stories as you said they are about what can be the distance between your old identity and your new identity they're all founded in that aren't they.

27:24Mrs. Sends as well I really really loved which is about a mum not being able to drive I mean it's just such a superb perspective on how difficult you must feel if you've come to a new country or you have a status that feels different to everybody else's, that you're expected to be confident on the road as well. And it's all about who's teaching her son and how uncomfortable or comfortable he feels. There's so much blended into those 20 pages. But yeah, I think the perspective about immigration is really, really revealing. And also it's quite gentle, isn't it? I mean, it is always told through emotion, not through great big political stamps, really.

28:11And, you know, that often catches our heart and our head, doesn't it? I really like the fact that there was a story about a childminder because you just don't... It's such a common experience that almost all of us... I was just grateful there was one about being absolutely rubbish at driving. And that as well, yes. Well, we don't drive. It's been ages since either of us did any courses. Yeah. Derek says, thank you for guiding me once again to a book that I wouldn't have sought out without the book club and of course that's the point of the Off-Air Book Club read in a couple of days during a week holiday on the Greek island of Sikynthos won't be my top list of books or even necessarily lingering in the memory but I am pleased I read it of the stories Mr Pesada and interpreter of maladies are the two that stood out for me both having the element of children stroke families illuminating wider issues that I thought showed the writer at their very best.

29:03The others I thought were a bit May, but maybe that's just me. Carla? But again, that's a lovely thing, isn't it? Because if you read one that doesn't really chime with you, you haven't wasted too much time. And the next one might. I really like that pick and mix. Yes, exactly. Carla, she just said it was a beautiful book. I'm not usually a short storier, but this book left me wanting to know more with every single story. I've bought another of her books, thanks to the person who suggested this collection. and from Kirstie. We haven't done Kirsties, have we? She's in Corfu and she's included a lovely image of a beach bag, a gorgeous sea view and her copy of this collection of short stories.

29:44Never read short stories before but did love them. You get to know the characters really quickly and really feel for them. I didn't think that would be the case with short stories. Also made me want to learn a lot more about Indian history in the last century. I love a book that sparks an interest in something. I just don't know anything about. And as with all history, it's so much more interesting and memorable when you think about the human experiences. This book should be studied in schools. I can imagine plenty of class discussions and it may lead to more understanding and tolerance of other cultures and immigrants.

30:16Well, it's a very good idea because you're not asking too much of your students to read 15, 20 pages and you could have a great conversation, especially about partition off the back of it. Laura, who else's short stories have you liked recently and would recommend for people who did join the book club to read a short story thinking oh god i'll kind of get through this and ended up thinking yeah i really like this this way of reading i think my number one recommendation to people who want to try and get into short stories is this is an obvious one but dubliners by james joyce and people hear james joyce and think oh my god i can't do that because they think ulysses or finnegan's way that is Relatively readable.

30:59600-page long sentences. Dubliners is not like that. It's written in normal sentences with full stops and speech marks and everything that we like. And I've read that. It's the only one I have read by James Joyce. It just means I can say, yes, I've read James Joyce. Absolutely, I have. So exactly, you can go around and say, you know, I'm a big fan of James Joyce. I'm a Joyce-ian. But I just think those stories are absolutely brilliant. They're set in Dublin, as you might imagine. and they just followed ordinary people and ordinary lives but they really really capture something with each one there's one story in particular that I always remember about a young woman who I think her mother's dead so she ends up doing a lot of the the looking after the other children looking after her father the household she's clearly not treated very well and she meets this man who you know is going to take her away to America they're going to go away to America together and it's this great escape for her and she gets to the docks and she just suddenly realizes I can't do this I can't go I can't leave and she turns around and goes home and that's the end of the story and it's just that feeling of did she make the right decision would she have been really happy with this man maybe she wouldn't have been maybe she would have missed home the whole time but what happens when you go back home and there's the dishes sitting waiting for you and all the children that need fed and the things that you thought that you'd escaped that you're actually not escaping wow god sounds very anyway i love Dubliners so that's a big recommendation if you're looking for something a little bit more modern more recent um Lauren Groff who's a brilliant American writer one of Obama's favorites she um just released a selection of short stories this year the title of which has escaped me despite the fact that I reviewed it it's all right Eve, we'll look it up.

32:49So you've had an Eve check? I have. So the Lauren Groff short story collection is called Brawler. And the story that gives it its title is about a teenage girl who's a competitive swimmer, but she keeps getting into fights with people. And we sort of discover why it is that she is in this terrible situation and why she's so angry and what it is that's making her so angry. And it's a really good story, as are all of them. Brilliant, OK. And I would chuck in Curtis Sittenfeld's show, Don't Tell, and the opening story, I will never forget. It's about a journalist interviewing Hillary Clinton and being sick on her.

33:27And if you think, how can that possibly be a story that you'd want to stay with you for a long time? It's just magnificent. So I'll pop that in your summer holiday tote bag too. Right. Which American president was sick at a banquet? I think it was, was it George Bush Senior? Yeah, I think it was. I don't know. But let's not include that necessarily. Other recommendations. Mary says, I just wanted to say that I love this book. I thought it was an interesting and engaging collection of stories. If your listeners like the short story format, I would recommend Alice Munro, the Canadian author. Is that a good recommendation?

34:01That's definitely a good recommendation. She's one of the best. Right, OK. And Mary says, she's currently reading East of Eden, which she describes as an epic saga. I haven't read that. Have you? I have to admit I haven't read it. I'm not good on big American books. I don't know what it is about them. It's the sprawlingness of them. It's too much. And they're quite boysy. They are a bit boysy. That's quite a boysy one, I would imagine. I haven't read it myself. Did he do a follow-up? West of Eden? North of Eden? South of Eden? A franchise. Right, somebody out there will know. Laura, thank you.

34:37I mean, the answer is no. We know the answer. Yes, we all know. Laura, thank you very much. And I've sort of, well, I'm sort of, I'm still back where I started. I think she's clearly an extremely clever woman. I really like some of the characters, but I just felt a bit let down when they left my life. Maybe you'll have to read her novels now. Yes, maybe that's exactly what I should do. Yes, OK. Thank you very much. And we're now looking, I guess, for more recommendations for the next book club pick. I think so, but that won't be until September. we won't pop it into people's minds because everyone's got very very very busy summers I'll tell you what I did get an email this morning saying that William Boyd's third spy novel is out on September the 3rd and I did think God you are such a successful author you don't have to put your book out before the summer sun lands a rush you could just chill out because it's a lovely thing to look forward to in September but I really wanted that on my holly bobs well you can probably get a good you're influential i might be able to organize you influential enough uh anyway lots to look forward to laura it's always such a pleasure to talk to you thank you very much indeed thank you for your emails about the interpreter of maladies and we should say that i'm away next week uh fee is womaning the fort and i'll be womaning with e so return to the tugboat the the good ship even fee set sail once again from the harbor of dreams Right, steady yourselves.

36:07But they're relatively good women, so I think you'll be in safe hands. Do, though, wear a life jacket. Yes, always. Always, always.

36:30Congratulations, you've staggered somehow to the end of another Off Air with Jane and Fee. Thank you. If you'd like to hear us do this live, and we do do it live every day, Monday to Thursday, 2 till 4 on Times Radio. The jeopardy is off the scale. And if you listen to this, you'll understand exactly why that's the case. So you can get the radio online on DAB or on the free Times Radio app. Off Air is produced by Eve Salisbury and the executive producer is Rosie Cutler.

37:06Thank you.

37:32and let you know when to rest and when to push. Hear the story in every heartbeat with Apple Watch Series 12. For general wellness purposes only, not intended for clinical use or to detect, diagnose, monitor, or treat medical conditions. Requires iPhone 11 or later. Pessimism. It's never going to improve a disconnected healthcare system. Next. So what will? At Optum, we're working every day to connect primary, specialty, and pharmacy care, and help lower prescription costs. Will we fix it all overnight? No. But we'll wake up trying again and again until healthcare works as one for everyone. That's healthy optimism.

38:12Learn more at Optum.com.

From the publisher

We've made it to our eleventh book club edition (we think)! This time, we've been reading 'Interpreter of Maladies' by Jhumpa Lahiri. Was Jane won over by the short story form? (We're fairly confident you already know the answer to that!) Plus, the wonderful Laura Hackett, deputy literary editor and fiction editor across The Sunday Times and The Times, joins Jane and Fi to share her thoughts and expertise.


Fi is back on Monday, but Jane is off on holiday for a week, meaning Eve is back in the hot seat.


Thank you so much for all your enthusiasm, engagement and interaction. We hope you'll join us for the next one.


Get your suggestions in at: [email protected]


Follow us on Instagram! @janeandfi


Podcast Producer: Eve Salusbury

Executive Producer: Rosie Cutler

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Off Air with Jane & Fi

All episodes