Similarities

When I got half way or so through Interpreter of Maladies, I started to notice similarities between it and How I Met My Husband. First of all, both involve love that is not returned. More specifically, both main characters have the hope of writing to their 'loves'. Both 'loves' live quite a distance away. The one main difference however is that when Mrs. Das leaves, Mr. Kapasi knows he won't hear from her. Edie however is still under the impression that she will hear from Chris and she waits anxiously. The stories are overall very similar.