The Shape of Family
PLOT SUMMARY:
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.
My Review
If the story of the Olander's does not tug at your heart strings; I don't know what to tell you. I felt every emotion that Jaya, Keith, and Karina experienced. There is grief, anger, guilt, loneliness, forgiveness, and happiness.
This book is told from each family member's point of view. Alternating between each family member; draws me the reader into the story more. Therefore, I form a strong emotional connection to everyone. The actions that each family member did, I did not judge them but understood the "why".
To quote Prem "I've been with my family ever since that day, and if they could really let go of all those feelings of guilt and sadness, they would feel me there."
The Shape of Family is not to be missed! The Olander family will stay with you long after you have finishing reading this book.
BEHIND THE BOOK:
Shilpi Somaya Gowda had a friend in college who moved west to connect with a group of like-minded people. That friend ended up in a murder-suicide following her involvement with this new-age
group (hint: cult). There were no witnesses, no one left to explain this tragedy, so when Shilpi began to write her forthcoming novel
The Shape of Family, she was still searching for answers about her friend. Slowly, ideas began to form into a deeply personal story—one that also pulls from this as well as Shilpi’s own experience of moving from Mumbai to Toronto as a kid. Shilpi spoke
of this, saying, “I had to learn how to be comfortable in two different worlds at once … Indian at home and being the only brown kid in my school.”
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