Secret Daughter

“Moving and thought-provoking and informative and imaginative and beautifully executed. What a wonderful story!”
—Mary Jane Clark

“This book is a must for anyone touched by adoption, or India, or the delicate dynamic between adolescent girls and their mothers.”
—Sujata Massey, author of Shimura Trouble

Shilpi Somaya Gowda's stunning debut explores motherhood, identity, and love, witnessed through the lives of two families, one Indian, one American, and the child that indelibly binds them

In a tiny hut in rural India, Kavita gives birth to Asha. Unable to afford the ‘luxury’ of raising a daughter, her husband forces Kavita to give the baby up—a decision that will haunt them both for the rest of their lives.
Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When her husband Krishnan shows her a photo of baby Asha sent to him from a Mumbai orphanage, she falls instantly in love. Waiting for adoption to be finalized, she knew her life would change , but was convinced that the love she already felt would overcome all obstacles.
In a braided narrative that unites the stories of Kavita, Somer and Asha, Secret Daughter navigates the emotional terrain of loss, belonging, and parenthood. As the story moves between the two families, one struggling to eke out an existence in Mumbai, the other grappling with the challenge of raising a brown skinned child from another culture, Gowda poignantly parses issues of culture, identity and familial loyalty.