Whereabouts (novel)

Whereabouts is a 2018 novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is her third novel, her first since The Lowland. It was originally written in Italian, and later translated into English by Lahiri herself.

Writing and development

Whereabouts was first written in Italian, Lahiri's second book in the language after In Other Words, a non-fiction book. Though the city in which the book is set is not disclosed, Lahiri has said it " was born in Rome and set in my head in Rome and written almost entirely on return visits to Rome".

Synopsis

An unnamed narrator travels around an unnamed European city, contemplating her solitude.

Publication

Dove mi trovo was first published in softback in Italy, by the Milan-based publishing house on 30 August 2018. Lahiri's English translation, titled Whereabouts, was published in hardback in the US by Alfred A. Knopf on 27 April 2021 and in the UK by Bloomsbury Publishing on 4 May 2021.

Reception

In its starred review, Publishers Weekly wrote, "Lahiri's poetic flourishes and spare, conversational prose are on full display."
Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Its spare, reflective prose and profound interiority recall the work of Rachel Cusk and Sigrid Nunez."