Quote 34
A year later, the shock has worn off, but a sense of failure and shame persists, deep and abiding […] It's as if a building he'd been responsible for designing has collapsed for all to see. (12.15)
Gogol's failed marriage is described in architectural terms, which is fitting for a character who's an architect. The home metaphor also links Gogol and Moushumi's failed marriage to their vexed relationship to their family homes. Their marriage was doomed from the start because of where these two came from, not because of anything they did.
Quote 35
Later that night he is alone in his room, listening to side 3 of the White Album on his parents' cast-off RCA turntable. The album is a present from his American birthday party, given to him by one of his friends from school.
Possessions say a lot about characters. Here, Gogol's preference for the Beatles' White Album also indicates his preference for western culture. Russian short stories? No thanks. Pop music? Don't mind if he does.
Quote 36
Something tells him that none of this is for his benefit, that this is the way the Ratliffs eat every night. Gerald is a lawyer, and Lydia is a curator of textiles at the Met. They are at once satisfied and intrigued by his background, by his years at Yale and Columbia, his career as an architect, his Mediterranean looks. "You could be Italian," Lydia remarks at one point during the meal, regarding him in the candle's glow. (6.24)
Weirdly, Gerald and Lydia seem to appreciate Gogol as yet another ornament in their massive collection of fancy things There's something disturbing about the way Lydia appreciates his "Italian" looks, as if looking Indian wasn't somehow posh enough.