This story follows two mothers. One who has given up a daughter in order to save her life. The other is the one who has adopted her.
Kavita lives in rural India and when her second child is born a girl she walks miles into the large city to turn her over to an orphanage so she doesn't suffer the same fate as her first little girl. She lies to her husband and says the girl died overnight so that he doesn't take the little girl to be killed like he did their first daughter. Boys are the preferred baby and while it breaks Kavita's heart to give her up, she knows it is the only way her girl will live.
Somer lives in California and has suffered another miscarriage. She is finally convinced by her husband, who is from India, to adopt and they come home with a little girl. Kavita's little girl.
The rest of the story follows Kavita, Somer and Asha, the secret daughter, as they all struggle with their part of the story and the parts they wish they knew. Kavita wonders what has come of her daughter. Somer struggles as Asha grows, loving her deeply but unable to completely understand at times. Asha wonders where is she is from and what her story is.
When Asha is in college, she decides to travel to India for a semester and stays with her father's family, her family. Because of this trip, all three of their lives are changed forever.
I realize that others might not love this book as much as I did. My own life and my own story connected me to these characters in such strong ways that I have no doubt that colored my impression of this book. I just randomly picked up this book, without really knowing anything, and it honestly could not have been a better book for me to read this month.
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