Whereabouts: The first novel by Jhumpa Lahiri in nearly a decade announced

Kolkata: Penguin Random House India has announced the forthcoming publication of Pulitzer Prize-winning, Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author Jhumpa Lahiri’s marvellous new novel, her first in nearly a decade.

Whereabouts is her first novel written in Italian and translated into English by the author. It will be published under the Hamish Hamilton imprint of Penguin Random House in April 2021.

With Whereabouts, Jhumpa Lahiri transcends into a new level of artistic achievement. This is a story of a woman protagonist who longs to belong but dares not conform, who is moving through her life in a city that almost becomes her companion. From the sidewalks, parks, and bridges to the pool and the train station that leads her to her grieving mother after her father’s untimely death, she moves through the city, one season after another. Until one day, her perspective changes and the life, as she knows it, is transformed.

Commenting on the publication of her book, Jhumpa Lahiri says, “I am so grateful to Meru Gokhale and to all at Penguin Random House India for following me on my creative journey and publishing this new novel, born from my love of a new language.”

Meru Gokhale, Publisher, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, says, “Jhumpa Lahiri is that rare writer who can effortlessly evoke the details of time and space with stark, minimal prose, saying so much by saying so little. Her new novel is a true literary event, and we are delighted to publish it.”