Harvard Square

Assimilation. Scores of novels present stories of the experience of immigrants in America. Andre Aciman’s contribution, Harvard Square, contrasts the assimilation of the narrator with that of his friend, Kalaj. The narrator is visiting colleges with his son, and that leads him to reflect on his own college days and the friendship he and Kalaj developed as fellow immigrants from North Africa. Aciman captures the longing to fit in as well as the desire to be at home, whatever and wherever that is. Aciman’s fine writing and focused dialogue kept me interested and engaged from beginning to end. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Harvard Square from amazon.com.