wp-1585504595857.jpgWelcome to my stop on the The Shape of Family blog tour sponsored by TLC Book Tours! Thanks to TLC for the invitation!

My Thoughts:

I own all three of this author’s books. I’ve wanted to read them ever since I read rave reviews of Secret Daughter and because the author and I share a beloved alma mater. I’m so grateful I finally read a book of hers and that it was The Shape of Family.

I think the best compliment we can give to a book is that we connected with it. Who knows what the thread or threads may be; sometimes I think it’s a familiar experience or circumstance. Mostly it’s brought on by feelings as if we can insert ourselves into this story. That’s how I felt about The Shape of Family. It’s so profound and relatable that I could also be living this story.

The Shape of Family is the story of the Olanders. Jaya and Keith represent the American dream with their beloved children, Karina and Prem, living in sunny California.

A tragedy strikes this family, one that sends them spinning for years to come. It causes the family to drift apart, but the story is about how their family attempts to come back together. It’s about defining family in different ways. It’s also about finding ourselves.

If you enjoy character-driven, emotional stories of family, The Shape of Family gets my highest recommendation. Its story and characters will live in my heart for a long time.

I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

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 thefamily’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, thesecrets 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.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #theshapeoffamily, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @shilpigowda.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Photo by Stacy Bostrom

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.

Have you read The Shape of Family, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR