Yay or Nay? Yay²! (82%)

 

Consensus: A vividly written description of motherhood in two compelling interwoven stories. Gowda writes with touching prose and incredible descriptions.

Genres: Fiction | Literature & Fiction

Description: 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. … [more]

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9 Book Reviews for “Secret Daughter” by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

• An engaging read, with its quick shifts between characters and rapid movement through 20 years of familial narrative. Some plot developments can be spotted a mile away … but Gowda resolutely refuses to tie up all her loose ends, keeping the novel from settling into banality.
  Published the 19th day of April, 2010 in The Boston Globe | Reviewed by Rebecca Steinitz | Full Review
  
• Gowda’s subject matter is compelling, but the shifting points of view weaken the story.
  Published in Publishers Weekly
  
• 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.
  Published the 1st day of October, 2009 in Library Journal | Reviewed by Christine DeZelar-Tiedman | Full Review
  
• Lightweight fable of family division and reconciliation, gaining intensity and depth from the author’s sharp social observations.
  Published in Kirkus Reviews
  
• In her engaging debut, Gowda weaves together two compelling stories.
  Published in Booklist | Reviewed by Deborah Donovan
  
• Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s flair for detail is evident in the way she describes the clothes, food, the streets and their smells of this land teeming with people and poverty. This story about motherhood, loss, family and forgiveness is authentic in every way. The reader need not be a mother to feel Kavita’s pain. The prose is so achingly touching, it draws the reader in with every description and emotion of the characters.
  Published the 6th day of March, 2010 in Associated Press | Reviewed by Lisa Orkin Emmanuel | Full Review
  
• “Secret Daughter” is spellbinding…. Gowda sets the stage early, using lyrical prose that easily draws the reader in. Her story and characters are engaging and the setting exotic. Readers will have a hard time putting this novel down.
  Published the 13th day of March, 2010 in Deseret News | Reviewed by Jessica Harrison | Full Review
  
• Gowda’s first novel explores the universal themes of motherhood, family and identity. Her writing is characterized by beautiful, vivid description and the story’s changing points of view enable the reader to grasp the wide range of emotions and struggles experienced by the masterfully crafted array of characters. “Secret Daughter” is a unified, moving and deeply satisfying novel.
  Published the 1st day of March, 2010 in Cityview | Reviewed by William Morrow | Full Review
  
• Debut novelist Shilpi Somaya Gowda has written a beautifully-crafted story of two families intertwined by the adoption of a baby girl, Asha…. She achieves pitch-perfect literary fiction in her touching portrait of two mothers wanting the best for the child they adore, and the unexpected trajectory Asha’s life takes as she grows up. This is a wonderful book for discussion groups!
  Published in Cape Women Online | Reviewed by Caitlin Doggart
  

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 3:06 PM and is filed under:
Fiction, Literature & Fiction.

Tags: Associated Press, book review, Booklist, Caitlin Doggart, Cape Women Online, Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Cityview, Deborah Donovan, Deseret News, Jessica Harrison, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Lisa Orkin Emmanuel, literary criticism, Publishers Weekly, Rebecca Steinitz, Secret Daughter, Shilpi Somaya Gowda, The Boston Globe, William Morrow

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