This is another guest post by my wife, Adele.
Rating: 5/5
Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Secret Daughter (New York: William Morrow, 2010).
After I finished this book, when I had let the whole story sink in, I felt I had finished reading a work of art. The author uses the style of jumping from one person’s perspective to another’s from chapter to chapter. Usually I find this kind of book hard to follow, and they usually don’t hold my interest for long. This book is different, though. Gowda uses this technique to keep the story flowing and chronological. Since I have never been to India, I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the events and culture. I do feel that the author did a wonderful job of highlighting the disparities that exist in India and the impact that has on family relationships. She made me think of the pain of infertility, the difficulty of family relationships of mixed cultures, how blessed I am to live in a country like Canada, what poverty really looks like, and what sacrifices people will make for love’s sake. Gowda tells a story of how difficult life can be and how some people deal with those difficulties. It is a beautiful book that offers the reader a wealth of information and emotion.