Interpreter of Maladies

In 1971, when the narrator of this story, Lilia, is a 10-year-old girl, a man named Mr. Pirzada begins to visit the house to eat dinner and watch the international news. He is from Dacca, which at the time is a part of Pakistan and has recently been invaded by the Pakistani army. Mr. Pirzada is a professor in Dacca, and his wife and seven daughters are still there; he is living outside of Boston for a year to study botany on a research grant. Lilia finds nothing strange about the visits—she is used to her family connecting with any Indian people in their neighborhood—but her father points out that since Partition, Mr. Pirzada is no longer an Indian man but a Pakistani. Lilia finds this distinction senseless, as they have so many customs in common, and her American upbringing means she has little context for the differences and the political situation.

Mr. Pirzada refers to himself as a refugee in their home, referencing the people crossing the border into India from Dacca, but he is welcome, and he brings Lilia candy each time he visits. The gesture touches Lilia, but she initially feels discomfort, not knowing how to act around him. She begins to keep the candy in a box by her bed, only occasionally indulging.

Each time Mr. Pirzada visits, the family eats in the living room with a clear view of the television, and Mr. Pirzada brings out a wristwatch set to Dacca time. The news they watch disturbs Lilia, and she does not understand how Mr. Pirzada is still able to eat and take care of himself while he does not know what has happened to his family. She stays up late thinking about it and one night becomes convinced that his family is dead. She takes a piece of white chocolate from her box of treats, lets it melt onto her tongue, and prays for Mr. Pirzada’s family.

At school, Lilia learns only American history, and one day in the library she takes up a book about Pakistan. Her teacher chides her, saying she has no reason to be reading it. The news from Dacca grows rarer, and one night in October, Mr. Pirzada asks about jack-o’-lanterns in the neighborhood; the next night they all carve a pumpkin together, ignoring the news. As Mr. Pirzada is carving the mouth, the news mentions Dacca, saying that India may go to war over the refugee situation. Mr. Pirzada gashes the pumpkin and apologizes, and Lilia’s father fixes his mistake.

On Halloween night, Lilia dresses as a witch and goes trick-or-treating with her friend Dora. Mr. Pirzada arrives before the two girls leave, depositing her first treat of the night in Lilia’s bag. When Lilia’s father begins to warn her about strangers, Mr. Pirzada becomes concerned and offers to accompany Lilia and Dora; Lilia tells him not to worry, then feels ashamed that she said that to him about herself instead of about his own family. As they leave, Lilia tells Dora that his family is missing, then corrects herself, saying only that he misses them.

The girls go trick-or-treating, ending at Dora’s house. They exchange candy, and then Dora’s mother gives Lilia a ride home. When she gets back, she sees their jack-o’-lantern has been smashed. Inside, Lilia’s parents are comforting Mr. Pirzada, who has learned that there will almost surely be war in Dacca. The war begins in December and lasts for 12 days; during this time, Mr. Pirzada is with the family every night, but he no longer brings candy, and Lilia is not invited to watch television with the adults anymore.

Mr. Pirzada flies back to Dacca in January without saying goodbye to Lilia, leaving her to ponder an outdated map of Pakistan. Several months later, the family receives a postcard—all is well, and Mr. Pirzada is reunited with his wife and daughters. The family makes a special meal to celebrate, but Lilia does not feel happy. She feels the absence of him; she has been saving her Halloween candy to eat one piece at a time and pray for him, like she did with his gifts. Now she no longer needs to, and she knows they will never see each other again.