Once in a Lifetime-Krista Smathers

Two aspects of "Once in a Lifetime" stood out the most to me while reading it.  The first was Lahiri's use of the second person.  Unlike other stories we have read where the second person "you" is intended to draw in readers as if they too were characters in the story, here it is not.  Instead, readers feel more of a connection to Kaushik because of how his presence, even when he is not physically present, echoes throughout the story because of the narrator's constant use of "you" in reference to him.  This lends itself to the perspective of a thirteen year old girl with a crush, and coupled with the naive first person narration, adds a feeling of intimacy that would not otherwise encourage readers to sympathize with either of the families.

Another powerful moment is when the narrator says, "I felt only the enormous fear of having a dying woman in our home."  I felt like this moment did not fit with the rest of the story and the characterization of the narrator.  She had not been repulsed or even phased by her mother's friend smoking a cigarette in their bathroom, but suddenly the she experiences an overwhelming feeling because she is, "in such close proximity to her disease."  The narrator explains this by stating that she was too young to feel sympathetic, but I do not believe this to be a valid explanation, especially with the rushed wrap-up of the ending.