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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.
TerriJ
Posted March 15, 2010
I couldn't stop reading this book and finished it in two sittings, but the ideas it touches on will stay with me for far longer. There were so many ways I could relate to the characters in this book: the complexity of a marriage over many years, the daily sacrifices involved in being a good mother, the challenges of raising children/adolescents who have their own identity. I appreciated the way that each of the characters had their own flaws and weaknesses to overcome, and had to struggle to do so. I truly loved the ending: it was very authentic, but also very satisfying and uplifting. There is so much great material for discussion in this novel, it would make a perfect book club pick.
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BusyWorkingMom
Posted March 9, 2010
Shilpi Somaya Gowda has written a captivating first novel about the meaning of family, motherhood, adoption, the search for self and cultural identity. She tells the story of Asha from birth to early twenties through her own voice, that of her Indian biological mother, Kavita, and that of her American adoptive mother, Somer.
The novel is thoroughly engrossing - I read it in two days. And yet the story, characters, issues and insights have stayed with me for weeks. Shilpi Somaya Gowda's writing is imbued with wisdom that defies her youth. She expresses some truisms of life so articulately that I found myself re-reading just to capture her phrasing.
This book will speak to you if you are someone who has searched or struggled with cultural identity, if you are a mother, if you are a daughter, if you are adopted or an adoptive parent, if you believe in marriage, if you want to explore the meaning of family, if you are interested in India, if you appreciate honest explorations of poverty and wealth, or if you love to read. Somaya Gowda deftly touches on all of these without judgment or agenda.
Secret Daughter is a story about people and the paths their lives take. The characters are real - interesting, flawed, and you care about them. At the same time, Somaya Gowda manages to paint an extraordinarily rich portrait of modern India - the sharp contrast between its poverty and wealth, its traditions and culture. Those sections of the novel seem painted in bright colors and I feel I've experienced something of India although I've never been there.
This novel is delightful. It's one of those rare books that I'm willing to stay up all night for. I found multiple threads within it that touch my own life and the book is very thought-provoking. I highly recommend Secret Daughter and I recommend you read it with a friend, since you will be inspired to talk about it for some time to come.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Page_Turner1
Posted March 14, 2011
This book was so well written that I'd definitely recommend to my friends. I enjoyed reading from beginning to the end.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 11, 2011
I loved this book, it was very well written. It gave perspectives about adoption and I enjoyed reading about India and it's many facets...some wonderful and others not so much but a rich culture none the less. It is also a book that raises questions about fate and being born in the right place at the right time...and how culture enters into it all. It is compassionately written and gives all sides of the story. A very good read!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 13, 2011
A wonderfulthat mkes you think about international adoptin i ways you never did before.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MaryannT
Posted February 10, 2010
As an employee of Barnes & Noble, I was able to read an advance copy of this book before publication. I could not put the book down and finally finished at 1 a.m. The author writes beautifully about the Indian culture, the realtionship between mothers and daughters and the strong bonds of family. I highly recommend this book. It would be a great choice for a book club.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Liz154
Posted January 17, 2012
I don't normally write book reviews but this one was worth my time! The book started off slow and I was somewhat disappointed by the fact that it did not develop Somer, Krishnan, or young Asha (as she grew up) very much but as Asha got older, the story zeroed in on her and Kavita and it was a real page turner.
The closeness and love of Asha's extended family was so well written I could feel it. The contrast of the elaborate indian wedding and poor slums was riveting. Great debut. I can't wait to read more from this wonderfully descriptive author.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 7, 2012
Great book on two different cultures that tells of how two mother's share one thing in common, a daughter.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In 1984 in indigent Dahanu, India Kavita gives birth to her second daughter. She grieves what will happen to her child as poverty forced her husband Jasu to arrange the death of their first female baby. This time, however, Kavita names her infant Asha and gets her into a Mumbai orphanage so that she might have a chance.
In San Francisco, Indian expatriate Krishnan persuades his wife Somer, who cannot have children, to adopt a child from his homeland. They go to Bombay where they adopt Asha although Somer fears their daughter will only bond with her father because they are both Indian while she is American. Meanwhile Kavita grieves for her two daughters, but finally gives birth to a son. Years later while at college in California Asha obtains a journalism fellowship that enables her to visits Mumbai.
Interestingly the opening sequence that focuses on cultural gender issues in an abject impoverished environment are slow and lack the intensity one would expect with such a dynamic social concern. However, once Asha returns to India, the story line goes extremely deep into gender questions that haunt modern India as well as identity concerns that trouble the heroine who wonders whether she is Indian, American or Asian-American. Readers will appreciate this profound look at the value of girls when poverty rules.
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Luv2Read49CS
Posted July 24, 2012
I enjoyed this book. The author did a nice job of incorporating the Indian culture into the tale. I kept anticipating how the daughter was going to find her birth mother. I could also identify with the adoptive parents. I would recommend this book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 26, 2012
Secret Daughter by Shipli Somaya Gowda is a story of two women dealing with two completely different problems and lives, and how this brings them together. Somer is an American woman married to her Indian husband, Krishnan. She cannot have kids, but she and her husband both would love to have a child of their own. Kavita is an Indian growing up in the slums of Dahanu. In the beginning of the book, she is pregnant with her second child. She prays that the baby will be a boy, but unfortunately it is girl. Her prearranged husband, Jasu, threatens to kill the baby as he did with the first girl, but Kavita saves her and gives her up for adoption. Somer and Krishnan adopt the baby from the orphanage and name her Asha, but will feel as though their child is missing something from her life. Throughout the story, each chapter explains the journey of these two almost opposite families, but how they are so close together. When Asha grows up, her curiosity for her biological parents brings her to India, but also tears her family apart. Kavita and Jasu also have problems with their family and have to learn how to adjust to such a terrible life style within the slums of India.
The major theme of Secret Daughter was to accept and learn the backgrounds of family and friends. Gowda demonstrated this theme through her emotional and picturesque tone in her story. Kavita and Somer must accept who they are and where their families are from, no matter how hard this may seem. In the concluding part of the story, each woman finds some closure through Asha and understands who each person in her life is to a much better extent.
In Secret Daughter, I liked how each chapter was told from a different point of view. It made the book a very quick read and easy to relate. It was also very interesting to see how closely related each character was, yet how far apart they were from each other. The author created a story so easy to relate to, even though it is drastically different from my life. I did not like how abruptly the end of the book came. The author did not explain what happened to each character after the story very well, and left many unanswered questions.
This book is a great read because it is a great insight to what the adoption processes are like and how poorly some people live in the slums of India. The book is very gripping and hard to put down because of the many different viewpoints in each chapter. Although the story is fiction, the reader can feel very educated about the life in India and how each woman in the story deals with the issue of missing a daughter or mother in their life.
After reading Secret Daughter, I would also recommend reading Three Cups of Tea as it has a similar topic and is interesting to read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 20, 2012
This book was an excellent escape into the Indian culture. The author was able to capture the essence of India while telling a wonderful and poignant story. It evoked emotions and encouraged thoughtful insight.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 17, 2012
Great book. Loved it.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2012
Good book to chat about.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.buddysgirl50
Posted December 16, 2011
I just finished this book and I feel it is a must read, The story is so well written and it lets you in on some of India's customs and rituals. And tell the story of the forgotten children of India
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 6, 2011
Great book ~ kept my interest, read it in 2 days
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 14, 2010
I Also Recommend:
This is truly one of the best books I have read in a long time, and one I will recommend widely. I find that most books I enjoy fall into one of two categories: either they have a compelling, well-paced story that keeps me very engaged and looking forward to the next time I read; or they are beautifully written and keep me thinking about the issues raised for a long time afterwards. It is rare for a book to do both, but this one manages to do so.
On the surface, this is the story of a child born in terrible circumstances, the twist of fate that changes her life, and her adolescent search for self that creates ripples with the people who surround her. Yet there are many more layers to this novel. There is great complexity in the relationships between parent and child, and husband and wife, making them both realistic and heartbreaking. There are the questions of class, education, gender and culture in our globalized society, so beautifully illustrated through two seemingly opposite families. The characters are imperfect, but they all learn and grow through their experiences.
The author's style is one of simple, elegant prose. There is no melodrama here (though that would be easy to do with this story): each and every emotional reaction garnered from the reader (and there are many) is thoughtfully-crafted and deserved. To me, it was as compelling and vivid as The Kite Runner, but better written. I found it similar in style to Jhumpa Lahiri's books, but with a more interesting plot.
The ending is beautiful, satisfying and unexpected. I had tears in my eyes for the last several chapters. Even though this book is geared towards women, I encouraged my husband to read it, which he did, straight through one weekend, and loved it. I plan to share it with both my parents and my children, and I know it will make a great discussion for my book club. Highly recommended.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 26, 2013
Could not put book down. I'm going to recommend to my book club.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.EchoinArvada
Posted April 20, 2013
I enjoy reading fiction that with settings in India, which is why I chose this book. While the author certainly displays intimate knowledge of Indian culture and contemporary life there, I did not find the characters very compelling. Kavita, the Indian mother, was the most real and sympathetic character. Good writing overall. I'm not sorry I purchased and read Secret Daughter, but at the same time would not highly recommend it.
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Posted April 13, 2013
Fantastic Book that was reality
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Overview
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 ...