Secret Daughter: A Heartbreaking Family Saga of Adoption, Motherhood, and Identity Across Continents

“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

 

Secret Daughter, a first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, explores powerfully and poignantly the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love through the experiences of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that binds them together. A masterful work set partially in the Mumbai slums so vividly portrayed in the hit film Slumdog Millionaire, Secret Daughter recalls the acclaimed novels of Kim Edwards and Thrity Umrigar, yet sparkles with the freshness of a truly exciting new literary voice.

 

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Published Apr 5, 2011

356 pages

Average rating: 7.24

37 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Nadiab
Nov 07, 2025
10/10 stars
LOVED this book. Totally drew me in. Great story,
Fnatwick
Feb 03, 2022
Amazing story of a mother who had to save her daughter by giving her to an orphanage where an American family adopted her daughter.

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