About The Shape of Family
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (March 17, 2020)
"Deeply involving....Rings so true." -- Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room
From the international bestselling author of Secret Daughter and The Golden Son comes a poignant, unforgettable novel about a family's growing apart and coming back together in the wake of tragedy.
“The Shape of Family is a novel about race and culture, parents and siblings, marriage and love, but most of all, it's about finding hope after darkness. Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a compassionate and wise storyteller who keeps us riveted from beginning to end.” -- Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation
The Olander family embodies the modern American Dream in a globalized world. Jaya, the cultured daughter of an Indian diplomat and Keith, an ambitious banker from middle-class Philadelphia, meet in a London pub in 1988 and make a life together in suburban California. Their strong marriage is built on shared beliefs and love for their two children: headstrong teenager Karina and young son Prem, the light of their home.
But love and prosperity cannot protect them from sudden, unspeakable tragedy, and the family’s foundation cracks as each member struggles to seek a way forward. Jaya finds solace in spirituality. Keith wagers on his high-powered career. Karina focuses relentlessly on her future and independence. And Prem watches helplessly as his once close-knit family drifts apart.
When Karina heads off to college for a fresh start, her search for identity and belonging leads her down a dark path, forcing her and her family to reckon with the past, the secrets they’ve held and the weight of their choices.
The Shape of Family is an intimate portrayal of four individuals as they grapple with what it means to be a family and how to move from a painful past into a hopeful future. It is a profoundly moving exploration of the ways we all seek belonging—in our families, our communities and ultimately, within ourselves.
THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this hearbreaking family drama read about a family who suffered through a painful tragedy. The writing was beautiful, sensitive and realistic that I related to the characters immediately.
This was my first book with Gowda and she became a favorite very quickly. This was an amazing character driven story in which the readers will experience how each of the family members dealt with this terrible tragedy in each of their own way. Warning - the first 10 percent of the book had me in tears so make sure to have some tissues handy.
The Olander family consisted of Jaya, the mother and wife from India who immigrates to London and meets her future husband, Keith an American from Philadephia. Karina is their teenage daughter and the younger son is Prem. The story was centered on their daughter Katrina 11 yo who is quite headstrong and obviously hurting and follows through as she is leaving for college. Her path to separate away from her family from the hurt that has not healed, will be the poignant part of the story as she is reeled back to the family that love her the most.
I truly enjoyed reading about this family and I felt that through her writing, Gowda really had a deep understanding on the human experience of anger, grief and loss.
Purchase Links
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About Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Shilpi Somaya Gowda was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Her previous novels, Secret Daughter and The Golden Son became international bestsellers, selling over one million copies worldwide. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain scholar. She lives in California with her husband and children.
Find out more about Shilpi at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Normally a story about grief isn't what people grab for a light read, but this is the kind of book right up my alley. Thank you for being a part of this tour, I'm excited to read this. Sara @ TLC Book Tours
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sara! This was certainly a fantastic read. Amazing.
DeleteI love a book that has relatable characters! In spite of the heavy topic, I think it would be perfect to distract me right now.
ReplyDeleteThank you Trish this was a great book and a great distraction too.
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