“Anil Patel was ten years old the first time he witnessed one of Papa’s arbitrations.” So begins THE GOLDEN SON, Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s second novel of family, love and responsibility.

As the oldest child in his family, Anil spent many hours watching his father in his role as village arbiter, where he would listen to the disputes of the villagers before passing judgment. Anil was the first in his family to attend college, and after medical school in his native India, he made the difficult decision to leave home and accept his place in the coveted and competitive residency program at Parkview Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Here in America, “it would not matter what Anil’s last name was, what caste he came from, that his family were farmers…. His colleagues would know him only as Anil Patel, and success or failure would belong to him alone.” He could finally live his own life on his own terms.

"With lyrical writing and complex subtleties, THE GOLDEN SON is a terrific read for fans of novels like MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS and THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS."

Back home in India, lovely young Leena, a childhood friend of Anil and his sister, Piya, plans for her marriage to Girish, a union arranged by both sets of parents. But instead of blissful harmony, Leena’s new life was anything but. Living with her demanding husband, his exacting mother, her resentful sister-in-law and her two children, she learned quickly that her role in this household was not of new matriarch, but subservient and suffering slave. Despite desperate calls home to her mother, Leena receives only “Be good and stay strong” as advice.

In Dallas, Anil endures an almost unbearable first year of residency when he gets a call from home telling him that his father has passed away suddenly. He decides to return to India, realizing that “…in his father he’d lost his only champion. Now he was left with his mother’s expectations and his brother’s hopes laced with resentment. Anil couldn’t bear to cause any of them further disappointment. His path, so clear before, was now shrouded by Papa’s death.” Anil does his best to get his family’s affairs in order, even sitting in as his father’s replacement as village arbiter, a job he knows his mother would like to make permanent.

Even though the exact circumstances Anil and Leena face are not your everyday kind of problems, most everyone can relate to the sometimes crushing expectations of family and responsibility. Anil struggles with his choices: Should he continue on this journey to be a doctor in America, or should he return to India and take up the family mantle as arbiter? Leena tries to be the obedient daughter and live up to her parents’ expectations, even though her marriage becomes untenable. Should she stay, or should she leave? Is leaving even an option? Each would rather suffer pain and indignity rather than cause their family undue stress and shame. But how realistic is that in this day and age? Can you truly lead a happy and fulfilling life trying to live up to someone else’s expectations?

With lyrical writing and complex subtleties, THE GOLDEN SON is a terrific read for fans of novels like MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS and THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS. Her characters are wrestling with relevant issues like familial responsibility, honor, desire, and feeling like an outsider, even within your own family: “Not only was it impossible to truly belong in America, but he (Anil) didn’t fit in here anymore either. He was a dweller of two lands, accepted by none.” Because of these themes and the epic scope of its story, it’s a natural and lively pick for book clubs, who can easily spend hours debating the subjects of loyalty, shame and honor, and their consequences.