Secret Daughter

As promised, I will now complete my review of my most recent read, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.  From reading the description of this book, I thought it would be really uplifting, inspiring, and all over happy tone of a child adopted and then being reunited with her birth parents. Although these themes are seen dispersed throughout the book, it was however, not the main theme of the book. In fact, there are plenty of depressing themes including miscarriage, death, poverty, and oppression. Ok ok, I know I have painted a pretty bleak picture of this book and now you are probably wondering why you would ever read it? The thing is, this book is about real human emotions, things we all feel at some point throughout our lives. And above that, this book describes the mother/daughter relationship in such a way that although you may not have been through any of the things the characters do, you seem to feel like you truly understand what they are feeling.

This book is really about many things!! Intercultural relationships, infertility, adoption, mothers, daughters, inadequacy, fear, worry, but mostly love! For these reasons, I will stick to my first post about this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to add to your own collection.

Official "back cover" preview:
On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to Asha. But in a culture that favours sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband Krishnan see a photo of baby Asha from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion for her. Somer knows life will change with the adoption, but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles. Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and Asha, "Secret Daughter" poignantly explores issues of culture and belonging. Moving between two worlds and two families, one struggling to survive in the fetid slums of Mumbai, the other grappling to forge a cohesive family despite their diverging cultural identities, this powerful debut novel marks the arrival of a fresh talent poised for great success.