Lahiri is a perfect example of an author that utilizes isolation from her personal life in her writing. She was born in London from Bengali immigrant parents, moving to America when she was only two. This led her down a path of not knowing who she was. Being brought to America at such a young age, she said she might as well consider herself American, but since she was not born and raised by American parents, people would often not agree. Lahiri was not accepted as American, and did not consider herself  to be from London or Bangladesh, so what does that make her.

She spent a portion of her life feeling isolated, like there was no group for her to be part of. It was not until she grew up that she realized she could be American and still take pride in her ethnic backgrounds. The struggle that Lahiri faced is portrayed by the main characters, usually American immigrants, in many of her works.