55 pages • 1 hour read
Shilpi Somaya GowdaSecret Daughter
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda spans twenty years and follows two families connected through an adopted daughter, exploring themes of identity, reconciliation, and cultural clash. Kavita, an impoverished Indian mother, gives her daughter Usha to an orphanage to save her life, while Somer, an infertile American doctor, adopts Usha (renamed Asha). Asha later navigates her bicultural identity during a journalism fellowship in Mumbai.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda intricately weaves themes of motherhood, identity, and cultural contrast. Critics praise its emotional depth, engaging narrative, and vivid settings. However, some feel character development is uneven and certain plot points predictable. Overall, a compelling read that deftly explores complex familial ties and cross-cultural dynamics.
Who Should Read Secret Daughter?
Readers who enjoy heartfelt family stories with multicultural themes will love Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. Fans of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner or Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake will appreciate the book's emotional depth and exploration of adoption, identity, and the bond between mothers and daughters.