Would You Rather...?

After reading the majority of this book, I cannot help but imagine how I would act as Gogol.  In particular, Gogol's love life intrigues me.  Who would I pick?  Gogol finds his first real relationship with Ruth at Yale.  However, as I look back through my book, I honestly cannot find any redeeming qualities that she possesses.  It seems that the only reason they connect lies in the fact that Gogol "wishes his parents could simply accept her" (116-117).  Ruth merely represents a continuation of Gogol's rebellious streak - first the name change, now an American girlfriend.  He wants to distance himself from his family and his culture, and Gogol believes a non-Indian girlfriend accomplishes this.  I, however, have a European heritage and no desire to rebel against my parents solely to anger them, so I shall strike Ruth from the list.  Next, of course, comes Maxine.  With Maxine comes an easy, carefree lifestyle - she and Gogol seem to do nothing but shop, use the Ratliffs' lake house, eat good food, and drink expensive wine.  This sounds wonderful, so Maxine gets some bonus points.  Despite her (or her family's) wealth, Maxine remains, at heart, a selfish and superficial woman.  After the death of Ashoke separates Gogol and Maxine for several days, Maxine tells Gogol, "'I miss you, Nikhil'" (182).  She cannot even let Gogol mourn the death of  his father for a few days - she craves attention and never truly understands Gogol, and thus I will place her towards the bottom of my list (she does have money after all, so I will not remove her entirely from consideration).  Lastly comes Moushumi.  Gogol and Moushumi initially connect on seemingly every level, and she even has the approval of Gogol's parents.  The two bond over their connected childhoods, their rebellions against their culture, and their Indian families and heritage.  By all appearances, Moushumi fits the mold of a perfect wife.  Though I suppose she does cheat on Gogol with Dimitri, who "recently turned thirty-nine" and "some gray has come into [his] hair and chest" with his "stomach undeniably wide" (264, 263).  So perhaps I should also downgrade Moushumi a bit.  In the end, not one of these women seems at all fit to marry.  Even without any pictures to assess the level of attractiveness of each woman, I can honestly say that I would not come near any of them.  Although I do feel bad for Gogol in general in this novel, after looking at his ex-girlfriends and wife, I just wish he had found better women.  Perhaps in the sequel to The Namesake, Gogol will try eHarmony and finally find happiness.