The Lowland centres around the life of two siblings, Subhash and Udayan Mitra, in the backdrop of the Naxalite movement in the 1960s in West Bengal. The two brothers part ways as Subhash moves to US for higher studies in oceanography, while, his younger brother, Udayan, gets involved in the Naxalite movement and is killed. Subhash, in his compassion, marries Gauri, his brother's wife, and takes her to Rhode Island, to raise her child. His efforts fail when Gauri doesn't respond to his selfless love. The novel ends open ended with the hope of reconciliation and resolution of the conflict despite the central character live in isolation and guilt. Lahiri proves her calibre in climaxing the narration with Bela's attempt to reach out to her mother through her daughter, Meghna. The story examines the sense of isolation and guilt experienced by the central characters. Attempt has been made to apply psychologist John Lee's styles of love to the various characters in their interpersonal relationships in the novel