"Gowda renders even the worst decisions made by the Olanders with compassion and insight, so much so that rooting for them — despite and because of their fragility — becomes a pleasure. I know these characters, and I love them, and for some unnameable hours in this uneasy spring, their journey from life, to death, to life was also mine. What a gift, to be that transported, and, eventually — blessedly — transformed." — San Francisco Chronicle
“This beautifully written, poignant novel explores how one loving family deals with an unspeakable tragedy. It's 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
“A moving exploration of how loss can change the contours of a life. Gowda deftly examines the forces that can make and remake a family in this engrossing page turner of a novel.” — Thrity Umrigar, author of The Secrets Between Us
"Not simply a story about tragedy or even the dangers of fervent devotion, but a story about mourning in all its myriad forms." — San Diego Union-Tribune
"In prose of quiet beauty, Shilpi Somaya Gowda drills down into the American Dream and comes up with pure gold. You will cry, rage, worry, and come to love the members of the Olander family." — Tatjana Soli, author of The Lotus Eaters
"A deeply involving story of a family falling apart, THE SHAPE OF FAMILY rings so true." — Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room
“An unforgettable portrait of a family’s loss, longing, and reconstruction. Haunting and beautiful, THE SHAPE OF FAMILY takes hold of you from the first page and does not let go.” — Lawrence Hill, author of Someone Knows My Name
“Thought-provoking to the core, The Shape of Family is both a warning about how our lives can change in an instant and a testament to the strength we must summon to keep a family whole.” — Washington Independent Review of Books
"Gowda traces the fallout lines with compassion and a keen eye for the lies we tell ourselves to avoid facing our own demons...A deft, patient portrait of grief." — Kirkus Reviews
“Rendered with compassion, this is a compelling testament to a family’s struggle to find solace.” — Booklist
“Gowda’s descriptions of their grief, coping mechanisms and bad decisions are as compassionate as they are profound. This is clearly a writer who has studied the full spectrum of human emotion, but even more impressive is her ability to render it so beautifully on the page.” — Book Reporter
“Sympathetic and inspiring, this intimate story is bound to stick with you.” — Ms. Magazine
“A moving story that reflects the trials of families everywhere … The result is a rich and engrossing novel about normal people trying to live their lives.” — BookTrib
"Not simply a story about tragedy or even the dangers of fervent devotion, but a story about mourning in all its myriad forms."
Thought-provoking to the core, The Shape of Family is both a warning about how our lives can change in an instant and a testament to the strength we must summon to keep a family whole.
Washington Independent Review of Books
Rendered with compassion, this is a compelling testament to a family’s struggle to find solace.
"In prose of quiet beauty, Shilpi Somaya Gowda drills down into the American Dream and comes up with pure gold. You will cry, rage, worry, and come to love the members of the Olander family."
"Gowda renders even the worst decisions made by the Olanders with compassion and insight, so much so that rooting for them — despite and because of their fragility — becomes a pleasure. I know these characters, and I love them, and for some unnameable hours in this uneasy spring, their journey from life, to death, to life was also mine. What a gift, to be that transported, and, eventually — blessedly — transformed."
A moving exploration of how loss can change the contours of a life. Gowda deftly examines the forces that can make and remake a family in this engrossing page turner of a novel.
This beautifully written, poignant novel explores how one loving family deals with an unspeakable tragedy. It's 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.
An unforgettable portrait of a family’s loss, longing, and reconstruction. Haunting and beautiful, THE SHAPE OF FAMILY takes hold of you from the first page and does not let go.
"A deeply involving story of a family falling apart, THE SHAPE OF FAMILY rings so true."
Gowda’s descriptions of their grief, coping mechanisms and bad decisions are as compassionate as they are profound. This is clearly a writer who has studied the full spectrum of human emotion, but even more impressive is her ability to render it so beautifully on the page.
Sympathetic and inspiring, this intimate story is bound to stick with you.
A moving story that reflects the trials of families everywhere … The result is a rich and engrossing novel about normal people trying to live their lives.
Rendered with compassion, this is a compelling testament to a family’s struggle to find solace.
"Gowda renders even the worst decisions made by the Olanders with compassion and insight, so much so that rooting for them — despite and because of their fragility — becomes a pleasure. I know these characters, and I love them, and for some unnameable hours in this uneasy spring, their journey from life, to death, to life was also mine. What a gift, to be that transported, and, eventually — blessedly — transformed."
"A tense and moving story of tragedy, grief, and resilience, of a family confronting its darkest moments while searching for the light within. Gowda's vivid characters and glimmering prose make for an engrossing and unforgettable read."
Vivid, heart-warming, and absorbing.
Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s flair for detail is evident. . . . The prose is so achingly touching, it draws the reader in with every description and emotion of the characters.
Shilpi Somaya Gowda is as adept at crafting disparate, fully realized worlds…as she is at creating compelling characters.
A beautifully composed compelling story of love, loss, discovery and the true meaning of family.
At turns harrowing and uplifting. . . . Compulsively readable and inspiring.
Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s great achievement is this: she makes each locale she depicts fascinating and true and original; she makes each character she draws so heartbreakingly vibrant that even after we finish reading we can’t forget them.”
A nuanced coming-of-age story that is faithful to the economic and emotional realities of two very different cultures.
Gowda can write up moments that break your heart.
A sensitive and intelligent work . . . [with a] finely drawn protagonist. . . . Demonstrates Gowda’s abilities as a sympathetic observer of heart and mind.
A nuanced coming-of-age story that is faithful to the economic and emotional realities of two very different cultures.
Shiromi Arserio and Vikas Adam deliver this story of the heartache and recovery of a multicultural California family reeling from tragedy. Karina is only 13 when her beloved brother drowns in their family pool. Arserio’s restrained portrayal of Karina’s anguish reveals the suppressed guilt that will afflict her for years. Mom Jaya retreats into a cocoon of spirituality, and Arserio’s softly lilting voice depicts her increasing retreat to her Indian roots. Narrating the chapters from the point of view of Karina’s brother Prem as he views the shattering fragments of his family after his death, Vikas Adam takes on a youthful unworried tone suitable for Prem’s easy acceptance of his fate. As each family member’s personal crisis deepens, they all find hope in their shared connections. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Shiromi Arserio and Vikas Adam deliver this story of the heartache and recovery of a multicultural California family reeling from tragedy. Karina is only 13 when her beloved brother drowns in their family pool. Arserio’s restrained portrayal of Karina’s anguish reveals the suppressed guilt that will afflict her for years. Mom Jaya retreats into a cocoon of spirituality, and Arserio’s softly lilting voice depicts her increasing retreat to her Indian roots. Narrating the chapters from the point of view of Karina’s brother Prem as he views the shattering fragments of his family after his death, Vikas Adam takes on a youthful unworried tone suitable for Prem’s easy acceptance of his fate. As each family member’s personal crisis deepens, they all find hope in their shared connections. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
2019-12-23
The children of an American father and an Indian mother, Karina and Prem Olander have learned to stick together. Thirteen-year-old Karina defends Prem, 8, from school bullies and even walks hand in hand with him on the way home, but she wants her time alone, too. Pushing Prem away one afternoon so that she can spend time trying on makeup and talking to her best friend, however, leads to a deadly accident. With each chapter telling the story from a different family member's perspective, Gowda (The Golden Son , 2016, etc.) traces the fallout lines with compassion and a keen eye for the lies we tell ourselves to avoid facing our own demons. While Prem watches from someplace after death, his and Karina's parents split up, with their father, Keith, submerging himself in his work in the financial industry and making some ethically questionable decisions. Their mother, Jaya, drifts away from everyone, rediscovering her spirituality, spending hours in ritualized prayer, building a temple in the family's home, and following the teachings of a prominent Hindu guru. With Prem's chapters underdeveloped, Gowda focuses primarily on Karina, tracing her spiral first into depression and then into self-destructive behavior. Once she leaves for college, Karina is primed to fall in love, to be betrayed, and to find solace at the Sanctuary. A communal farm headed by the charismatic Micah, the Sanctuary offers Karina meaningful work surrounded by people who embrace her, bearing witness to her sense of guilt. But as Karina begins to suspect that Micah may not be quite who he claims to be, Gowda ratchets up the tension, shifting gears into a thriller late in the game, setting in motion the family's reunion.
A deft, patient portrait of grief.
