A compilation of short stories, The Interpreter of Maladies probes the difficulty of communication and the danger of romanticism.

The book shows the harm imposed by failed communications through two failed marriages: the Kapasis and the Dases. The language barrier between Mr. and Mrs. Kapasis prevents the couple from communicating with each other. Their lack of communication ultimately led to the failure of their marriage as one of them drinks tea alone at night and the other also remains silent in her room. Similar to the Kapsis, the Dases also suffer from the damage done by difficult communications. The difficulty of the Dases does not derive from language barriers; instead, it derives from their refusal to communicate with each other. Mrs. Das conceals herself behind her sunglasses, Mr. Das behind his guidebook. Like their parents, the Dases’ children do not listen to their parents or to Mr. Kapasi when he talks about the monkeys in India. The ties between the Dases are brittle, and their attempts at communication end in failures as the barrier between them prevents good communication. Perhaps it is their inert refusal to open up and truly accept their family members, perhaps it is because of their desire to remain closed, to remain in self-isolation, that culminated into their hurt feelings and failed relationships.

The harm of romanticism is on full display in the Interpreter of Maladies. Characters’ failure to recognize the truth about another character always results in some harm being done, if not an utter tragedy. An example of the danger of romanticizing is found in the relationship between Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi. The former selectively view reality; he intentionally blocks the unfavorable parts of reality and lives in an almost isolated world of his own. He views Mrs. Das as a lonely housewife who could serve as a perfect companion to himself, who is also lonely. He sees their shared loneliness as making them compatible companions to each other. His attention is directed at her physique and fashion and glosses over her selfishness -- her dismissal of her children’s requests and her selfishness with her snack. Similarly, Mrs. Das chooses to only see traits of Mr. Kapasi that she considers to be favorable to compose an ideal image of Mr. Kapasi. She sees him as someone who could be a confidante, a helper, a fatherly figure, yet fails to notice Mr. Kapasi’s discomfort at her personal revelation, even when he outrightly tells her his inability to provide the help she desires, she chooses to ignore his response. 

Ultimately, the Interpreter of Maladies, although written in 1999, is a reflection of the contemporary struggles of interpersonal communication and the challenge inherent in forging connections with others. The struggles of the Dases and the Kapases are echoed by the millions of people living in contemporary society, a society where the spread of modern ideas -- standards for “trendy,” “cool,” builds self-consciousness and makes it increasingly difficult for people to communicate truthfully and forge good connections with each other.