Mothers and Daughters in India and America

My mother-in-law recently lent me a book to read because she thought I would enjoy it. She's an avid reader as well, so I was happy to take the book and give it a try. And, of course, she was right! I did really enjoy it. The book is Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.

The book is about a young married woman in India, Kavita, who has just given birth to her second daughter. This is a tragedy for her and her husband. In India, boys are prized to the exclusion of girls. Traditional dowries are incredibly expensive, so a girl can cost her family a lot of money. Kavita's husband, Jasu, was furious with her when she gave birth to her first daughter, and had the newborn killed. Kavita does not want the same thing to happen to her second daughter, whom she has named Usha. Instead, she makes a long and dangerous journey to Bombay with her sister to give Usha up for adoption.

This book is also about an older married woman in America, Somer. Somer is a doctor who is also married to a doctor, an Indian man named Krishnan. Somer and Krishnan are trying to have a child, but Somer has had a few miscarriages and finds that she cannot have a child of her own. So, Somer and Krishnan decide to adopt, and where better than from Krishnan's home country of India. They adopt a one year old Indian girl with beautiful eyes named Asha.

Of course, Asha=Usha, and the book tells the story of her growing up, her ties to India, her relationship with her adoptive parents, and her quest for her biological parents. The book also touches on broader themes: the role of women in society, women as mothers, adoption, cultural norms, marriage, and family ties. The story unfolds in a rapidly changing series of short chapters told from the perspective of Somer, Kavita, Krishnan, Krishnan's mother Sarla, Jasu, and Asha. I wanted each little element of story to be longer, but the quick changes of narrative help propel the story. It is like a series of moments - each moment telling a story when gathered together in a whole.

This is a very good book. The story is good, the characters are interesting and draw you in, and the book touches on broader themes without beating you over the head or being preachy. My one regret about reading this book? That it is not my month for bookclub and I can't suggest it as a book! So, to all my fellow bookclubbers who regularly read this page, and, indeed to any and all readers out there, I suggest you check out this lovely book.