A breathtaking novel about the ties that bind mothers and daughters together and the secrets that tear them apart.Veena, Mala and Nandini are three very different women with something in common. Out of love, each bears a secret that will haunt her life—and that of her daughter—because the risk of telling the truth is too great. But secrets have consequences. Particularly for Asha, a young woman … Particularly for Asha, a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, who links them together.
After her eighteenth birthday, Asha is devastated to learn that she was adopted as a baby. What’s more, her birth mother died of a mysterious illness, leaving Asha with only a letter.
Nandini, Asha’s adoptive mother, has always feared the truth would come between them.
Veena, a recent widow, worries about her daughter Mala’s future. The shock of her husband’s sudden death leaves her shaken and convinces her that the only way to keep her daughter safe is to secure her future.
Mala struggles to balance her dreams and ambition with her mother’s expectations. She must bear a secret, the burden of which threatens her very life.
Three mothers—each bound by love, deceit and a young woman who connects them all. Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters is an intergenerational novel about family, duty and the choices we make in the name of love.
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Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters is one of the most beautifully written novels I’ve read about pain that cannot be borne.
The reader is led gently into the intersection of Asha and Mala’s path, it comes not so much as a surprise as a whisper. I knew before I knew. The pain is searing, yet relatable. The story, peppered with secrets, warns of the consequences that can no more be avoided than sucking in a deep breath of air simply to survive.
Anita Kushwaha created a story that ended one way even though I’d hoped for a different ending, but that didn’t stop me from loving it.
A multigenerational novel that is expertly told, Kushwaha masterfully juggles multiple points of views and intersecting story lines. I was deeply moved by both Asha and Mala’s life events, choices, and their individual burdens: personal, cultural, and traditional, that shaped their thinking, emotions, and choices. Peopled with characters both flawed and relatable, Kushwaha displays a deep understanding of character craft and how to translate inner experiences and outer choices into a narrative that is both heart breaking and redemptive. Anita Kushwaha’s Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters is a must read from a talented new voice in women’s fiction.
I adored this story of how sometimes, in the attempt to do the right thing, we keep secrets that ultimately do not serve (or hurt) the ones we love. Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters offers up a poignant exploration of the different facets of motherhood.
I enjoyed how the different women’s’ stories intertwined and I especially how the novel brought me what felt like insider insights into the diversity of traditions in first generation immigrant Indian families who’ve made their homes in Canada. Every character that Kushwaha has created is love-able and you want them all to find peace, but ultimately life is rarely perfect that way.
This novel made me smile at many points. It’s poignant, uplifting, sad at moments, too. Kushwaha had me caring enough for the characters that I even cried. A masterful, uplifting, poignant and touching debut.
Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters (SLOMAD) takes readers on an emotional journey laced with unexpected twists and turns. This book opens with a touching description of a couple desperately seeking to grow their family. From the first page, SLOMAD provides a heartfelt, tender depiction of the link shared among blood- and chosen- relatives. Asha’s letters to an elusive recipient capture her longing for intimacy and connection, her yearning to communicate with a biological parent she’s never known. The story moved at a rapid and engaging pace, partly because it had alternating perspectives. I finished the book in two days; I simply couldn’t put it down. Throughout the book, there were timely references to Jane Eyre. I loved how Mala and Asha each found solace in that classic novel, elucidating the deep and intricate roots of their relationship. Additionally, Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters introduced me to a culture vastly different from my own, one filled with tradition, honor, and indestructible familial bonds. Although SLOMAD portrayed a distinct ethnic identity which bears little resemblance to mine, part of the magic of this book was its ability to cross geographic and cultural lines. I found this novel incredibly relatable. Mala sought redemption and meaning in the wake of her father’s passing. She attempted to find herself amid delicate relationships with her mother as well as her lovers. Her character was easy to empathize with; who hasn’t experienced similar insecurities and hidden desires? Overall, this novel is easily one of the most unpredictable and captivating books I’ve ever read.