An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

Soviet saxophonist, Vladimir Ivanoff who is fleeing the K.G.B., decides to defect in Bloomingdale's Department Store.

Circus saxophonist Vladimir Ivanoff defects from his touring troupe in Bloomingdale's. Fleeing the KGB, Vladimir wins asylum and moves into the crowded Harlem flat of black security guard Lionel Witherspoon. Soon he has found both a voluptuous Italian lover and a shrewd Cuban lawyer. Though Vladimir learns that life in America can be cold and painful, he grows to love his new land.

The son of Indian immigrants born in America wants to fit in with fellow New Yorkers, but his family is unwilling to let go of their traditional ways. "The Namesake is suffused with radiant grace, and manages to be old-fashioned yet immediate, epic and intimate."--New York Daily News. "The Namesake brims with intelligence, compassion and sensuous delight..."--Chicago Tribune. "A deeply moving saga of several generations of a Bengali family."--San...