Synopses & Reviews
On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors 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 the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. 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 the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that indelibly connects them.
Review
"First novelist Gowda offers especially vivid descriptions of the contrasts and contradictions of modern India... Rife with themes that lend themselves to discussion, such as cultural identity, adoption, and women’s roles, this will appeal to the book club crowd." Library Journal
Review
"Fiction with a conscience, as two couples worlds apart are linked by an adopted child....A lightweight fable of family division and reconciliation, gaining intensity and depth from the author’s sharp social observations." Kirkus
Review
“Gowda has masterfully portrayed two families...linked by a powerful, painful tie that complicates their lives....A thought-provoking examination of the challenges of being a woman in America and in India--and in the psychological spaces in between.” Chitra Divakaruni, author of The Palace of Illusions
Review
“Set in California and the teeming city of Mumbai, SECRET DAUGHTER is a beautifully composed compelling story of love, loss, discovery and the true meaning of family.” Anjali Banerjee, author of Imaginary Men
Review
"'The Secret Daughter' is an unflinching yet compassionate story of mothers and daughters. In a tale that moves between Mumbai, India and Northern California, Shilpi Somaya Gowda sensitively explores the balancing acts of of international adoption and bi-cultural families. This book is a must for anyone touched by adoption, or India, or the delicate dynamic between adolescent girls and their mothers." Sujata Massey, author of Shimura Trouble
Review
"It’s moving and thought-provoking and informative and imaginative and beautifully executed. What a wonderful story!" Mary Jane Clark, author of Dying for Mercy
Review
The Secret Daughter is a deeply moving and timeless story of an adopted daughters long distance search for cultural identity and acceptance; first with the mother who raised her, and ultimately with the mother who gave her up. Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic's Daughter
Review
In her engaging debut, Gowda weaves together two compelling stories… Gowda writes with compassion and uncanny perception from the points of view of Kavita,Somer, and Asha, while portraying the vibrant traditions, sights, and sounds of modern India. Booklist
Review
This wise debut moves deftly between the childs two mothers and cultures. Good Housekeeping
Review
A No. 1 bestseller in Canada, “Secret Daughter” tells a nuanced coming-of-age story that is faithful to the economic and emotional realities of two very different cultures. Washington Post
Review
"Imbued with magical realism, Barrios tale of lost loves sparkles. A gorgeously spun and deftly told tale." --
Kirkus "Barrios story combines the timeless quality of a fable with the fully imagined emotional force of a modern novel. [Her characters]...bring to the novel the embroidered richness of a family saga told and retold across generations." --
Publisher's Weekly "Carters translation of this whimsical novel offers a vivid and sultry language that perfectly reflects the Laguna family and their fantastical world. With self-healing wounds and pet cockroaches, this tale has it all. And while that can prove problematic, theres no doubt that Barrio is a wonderfully gifted storyteller." --
BooklistSynopsis
"Moving and thought-provoking and informative and imaginative and beautifully executed. What a wonderful story "
--Mary Jane Clark
"This book is a must for anyone touched by adoption, or India, or the delicate dynamic between adolescent girls and their mothers."
--Sujata Massey, author of
Shimura Trouble
Secret Daughter, a first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, explores powerfully and poignantly the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love through the experiences of two families--one Indian, one American--and the child that binds them together. A masterful work set partially in the Mumbai slums so vividly portrayed in the hit film
Slumdog Millionaire,
Secret Daughter recalls the acclaimed novels of Kim Edwards and Thrity Umrigar, yet sparkles with the freshness of a truly exciting new literary voice.
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
“Moving and thought-provoking and informative and imaginative and beautifully executed. What a wonderful story!”
—Mary Jane Clark
“This book is a must for anyone touched by adoption, or India, or the delicate dynamic between adolescent girls and their mothers.”
—Sujata Massey, author of Shimura Trouble
Secret Daughter, a first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, explores powerfully and poignantly the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love through the experiences of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that binds them together. A masterful work set partially in the Mumbai slums so vividly portrayed in the hit film Slumdog Millionaire, Secret Daughter recalls the acclaimed novels of Kim Edwards and Thrity Umrigar, yet sparkles with the freshness of a truly exciting new literary voice.
Synopsis
In the tradition of Laura Esquivel's Like Water For Chocolate, The House of Impossible Loves is a novel set in twentieth-century Spain and France revolving around a family of cursed women.
Synopsis
An “exuberant” (
El Mundo) debut novel of a family bound by searing passions, an earthy magic, and a very unusual curse
The Laguna women suffer from an odd affliction: each generation is condemned to tragic love affairs and to give birth only to girls who are unable to escape the cruel fate of their mothers. One fateful hunting season in their small Castilian town, a young landowner arrives and begins a passionate affair with Clara Laguna, the latest in the family line, daughter of a one-eyed woman known as “the Laguna witch.” He leaves her pregnant with yet another daughter, but the seeds of change are sown. Eventually the long-awaited son—Santiago, the great-great grandson of Clara—is born. A window of hope is opened, but is the curse truly over?
Introducing a cast of memorable, eccentric characters from a bearded, mute female cook to the local do-gooding priest and the indelible Laguna women themselves, The House of Impossible Loves is a feat of imaginative storytelling that marks the arrival of a talented new novelist.
About the Author
Shilpi Somaya Gowda was born and raised in Toronto to parents who migrated there from Mumbai. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1991, she spent a summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage. She has lived in New York, North Carolina, and Texas, and currently makes her home in California with her husband and children.