Let's start with the obvious challenge: this is a collection of nine stories. It's difficult enough getting high school students through one, but nine times that in a pretty short space of time? We can already see them starting to zone out.

But never fear. A good way for the class to get to grips with Interpreter of Maladies is to give them a lowdown on the dominant themes that run through most of the stories, so they have a general idea of what's to come. This could take the form of a brief class discussion, led by yourself, as you detail some of Lahiri's pressing concerns. Fill the class in on how she focuses on communicative difficulties, marital struggles, the failings of family members, dashed dreams, the challenges facing immigrants, and much, much more. The short story format also allows you to break up the reading into manageable slices, to keep them from getting overloaded.