Love, Hate and Other Filters

Maya and Phil meet again at the bookstore to discuss The Namesake. They share another piece of cake. Maya mentions that she likes cake, and Phil asks, “Cake, not barfi?” (39). Maya is astounded that Phil remembers the Indian dessert that Maya’s mother brought in to school for her seventh birthday. Maya and Phil continue to talk. She says she wishes she lived in New York City so that she would not be the only Indian Muslim in town; she also wishes to live her own life while still being a good daughter. Phil asks why she cannot do both, and Maya explains that her parents want her to be a lawyer and to marry an Indian doctor. She also talks about Indian practices, such as arranged marriages and love marriages. Phil asks if Maya’s parents have already picked a guy for her to marry. She laughs: “No. I’m only in high school” (42). Phil is surprised to learn that Maya does not know how to swim. He says he will teach her. Maya protests, but Phil insists. He looks forward to his tutoring role.

Ethan drives on the freeway with sweaty palms. He hears voices in his head: the prayers of his mother; the rejection of his father, who believes he will never amount to anything; the bark of a woman telling him he will not be needed for a second interview; the encouraging