

Pirzada returns to Pakistan, where he's reunited with his family. Pirzada's seven daughters and wife are all missing in Pakistan, he knows what loss is like.įinally, Mr. Her parents are fine parents, but they're not as worried about her as Mr. He does things like give her candy every time he sees her and shows concern for her safety. Pirzada eats dinner and watches TV at Lilia's house with her Indian parents. His family is back in Pakistan experiencing the civil war that will eventually tear Pakistan apart. Pirzada's a visiting Pakistani professor who becomes part of a young Indian girl's household for a brief period of time. They cry together about their lost baby and lost marriage.Ī sad ending, which sets the mood for much of the rest of the book.

The husband, in response, reveals something incredibly cruel to the wife about their stillborn child.

However, the wife surprises the husband and tells him at the end that she's leaving him. The husband thinks the game is making them closer, more intimate as a couple. The darkness actually helps them be more honest with each other, especially since they make it into a game (think "Truth or Dare" without the "Dare"). Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies: Book Summary "A Temporary Matter"Ī married couple, coping with the loss of a baby, can't really get along anymore until a series of rolling blackouts in the neighborhood force the couple to talk.
