A Summer Read

Secret Daughter 

by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

After a few years of only scattered reading of novels, I am finding encouragement and titles to draw me back into reading fiction. I am gradually returning to reading novels more consistently again for pleasure.

Inspiration to read.

In need of a good read for a flight and some time relaxing on the beach, I bought a copy of The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda in anticipation of a trip to Virginia Beach. The story is engaging and moved steadily enough for me to return to it over and over during our travels. The pace was exactly what I had hoped for, perfect for traveling.

The Secret Daughter is primarily the story of two women, countries and cultures apart, whose lives intersect despite the distance and cultural differences between them. The author's personal knowledge of Indian culture informs her descriptions. She writes with understanding and authority about the situations her characters find themselves in.

Throughout, the story is infused with revealing insights about general cultural differences between east and west and specifically those pertaining to women and marriage. With vivid descriptions of her characters and their surroundings, the story creates a bridge between cultures and addresses issues universal to women.

In this novel, author Shilpi Somaya Gowda, shares an understanding of relationships and motherhood within a multicultural context. Her story is informed by her own life experience. She touches on issues of class and gender roles with insight and personal understanding. The story explores the influence of culture on her characters experience and how cultural expectations define an individuals experience of important relationships.