About a month ago, I decided it was time to purchase my summer reading from Amazon.ca – without a large bookstore (or any bookstore for that matter) in my city, I usually browse online for titles that interest me, but that only gets a person so far. I’m more likely to purchase a book if a friend recommends it, so off to Facebook I went! My friend Kathy recommended a book that I wouldn’t have picked up on my own, and I’m so glad she did!
Secret Daughter: A Novel tells the story of two women on opposite sides of the world, sharing an adopted child. The author, Shilpi Somaya Gowda does a beautiful job of making her readers relate to the women even if we ourselves think we can’t possibly have anything in common with them. Kavita, the birth mother who lives in India, warmed my heart and I truly felt her sorrow and longing throughout the book. Somer, the adoptive mother who lives in California, is someone I could relate to because of a shared experience of the pain of infertility and miscarriage.
I read this book on my trip to and from Cancun and finished it with a sigh. I know that’s the sign of a good book – if I smile and sigh when I turn the last page, it’s definitely a keeper and one that I will recommend to friends. If it makes me cry, even better. Secret Daughter did just that – there I was on my flight, dripping tears and smiling as I read the following:
In the midst of the povery and despair of the slum,
she showed the fierceness of a mother’s love.
And how we’re really all the same in that way. At the end of the film, there was a dedication to all the mothers who made the film possible.
Asha listed all the women by name. Somer’s name was last, on its own screen.
The book is creating buzz everywhere. Of all places, there I was at the Duty Free store in the Cancun airport chatting with the woman in line behind me, who saw me pull out the book when I was grabbing my wallet! I hope she decided to pick up a copy for herself. If you’re looking for a great summer read – consider Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, available at Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.
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