This story from Jhumpa Lahiri deals with one of her common themes: alienation within a relationship. A young, once happily married Indian-American couple have drifted apart following the loss of their stillborn first child. A week of evening power outages leads to a word game that gets them beginning to communicate again. Although neither raises the big issues between them, there appears hope for a re-building of the relationship. Unfortunately, at weeks end the woman shares news that devastates the man. He responds with a cruel truth of his own. Other themes: grief, guilt, lack of communication, deception, moving on.
It is interesting to contemplate what the title, Temporary Matter, refers to. Is it the obvious (the power disruptions), or could it be the marriage, the grief, the couple’s inability to communicate, or even the proposed separation. The shared tears at the end leave all possibilities open!
Original Text / PDF (7,200 words)