Review: Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Kavita Merchant who is a poor village women, gives birth to a girl child and names her Usha. She gives her daughter to the orphanage in Mumbai as she is terrified by her husband Jasu Merchant who would kill her if he finds out its a girl. She travels all the to Mumbai by herself and gives her daughter away with heavy heart. Two years later Kavita gives birth to a boy named Vijay. 

On the other side of the globe in America couple named Krishnan and Somer who are doctors themselves, trying hard to have a child and consults Fertility but all in vein. They finally decides to adopt a child, and of course, it is Usha they adopt as Krishan is from Mumbai and still has a huge family in Mumbai. They name her Asha.

Kavita, Jasu and Vijay in village living their lives and Krishna, Somer and Asha in California busy in theirs.

What has amazed me in this story is the relationship between each of them. How well each of them understands how the relations are maintained.

I loved the bonding between Kavita and Jasu. Jasu call her Chakli :) I found that sweet.

Loved the relationship between Asha and Sarla (Dadima, Krishnan's mother in India) where Asha goes and lives for 1 yr to do her project on Slums of Mumbai. The other reason why she comes to Mumbai is to find out her real parents.

Some of the chapters have really made me cry, few were a bit dragging in between. There some beautiful sentences, actually Captions which i normally use for my pictures. They way it has been used in this story has just blown my mind. If the quotes/Sayings are used at a right place, it can change the entire meaning.  I have quoted below:

"If the mother falls, the whole family falls"

"At some point, the family you create is more important than the one you're born into."

"that is what growing up is. Life is always changing on us, presenting us with new lessons. Look at me, I'm seventy-six, and I'm just now learning to wear white."

So, give urself a little gift. Take this book, sit on a bench at a near by lake with a chilled Cappuccino in the other hand and read Secret Daughter. Not cuz I want you to read this but YOU want to read it. I promise this will enrich ur understanding towards ur own family.

Happy Reading !!!