BOOK REVIEWS Courtesy of Beaverdale Books
‘Secret Daughter’
By Shilpi Somaya Gowda
William Morrow
Pub Date: 3/01/10
$23.99
352 pp
When Kavita gives birth to another girl, her heart breaks once again for the daughter she will never be allowed to know. In her remote Indian village, Kavita’s precious child is simply not valuable. With courage sparked by her desperate love for her daughter, whom she names Usha, after the dawn, Kavita travels to Bombay to offer Usha her only fragile chance at life.
San Francisco Pediatrician Somer Thakkar’s only dream, after years of caring for other women’s children, is to give birth to her very own child. After another devastating miscarriage, however, she learns that it is too late. She reluctantly agrees to her husband’s suggestion that they adopt a child from his home of Bombay, India.
“Secret Daughter” is the story of two mothers, each utterly unaware of the other, whose lives are irrevocably linked by Usha, the daughter they share. It is also the story of their daughter, who must learn to reconcile her mixed heritage and accept her identity. Most of all, “Secret Daughter” is a poignant and inspiring story of the strength and love of mothers everywhere.
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. CV — Review by Erica Narwold
