Review: The Forgotten Daughter by Renita D’Silva

The Forgotten Daughter
written by Renita D’Silva
published by Bookouture

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I was asked by the publisher to review this book. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Did I enjoy this book: Yes, I did.

If there was an Olympic event in Sochi this winter for writing, I imagine we’d see Renita D’Silva sanding atop a podium, gold medal glistening around her neck, a rivulet spilling onto her cheeks from moistened eyes, and her national anthem playing in the background.

Ok, I confess: I stole the word “rivulet” from the book. I had to look it up, along with “bedeckled” and “sobriquet.” And I’m still not sure how to pronounce them.

This isn’t a quick, easy story to blow through in an afternoon. It’s more a work of art meant to be read, re-read, and savored. She tells the story primarily through a series of diary entries. The characters begin their journey separated by continents and decades. Through flowery descriptions and emotional discoveries, they are brought together in the end.

Would I recommend it: I would.

Will I read it again:  I’ll re-read parts of it again.

About the book – from Goodreads: ‘You were adopted’. 
Three simple words, in a letter accompanying her parent’s will, tear Nisha’s carefully ordered world apart. Raised in England, by her caring but emotionally reserved parents, Nisha has never been one to take risks.

Now, with the scrawled address of an Indian convent begins a search for the mother and family she never knew and the awakening of childhood memories long forgotten.

The secrets, culture and people that Nisha discover will change her life forever. And, as her eyes are opened to a side of herself she didn’t know existed, Nisha realizes that she must also seek answers to the hardest question of all – why?

Weaving together the stories of Nisha, Shilpa and Devi, The Forgotten Daughter explores powerfully and poignantly the emotional themes of motherhood, loss and identity – ultimately asking the question of what you would do out of love for your children?