Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Shilpi Somaya Gowda, born on December ninth, nineteen seventy, is a celebrated Canadian novelist renowned for her compelling storytelling and rich narratives. Raised in Toronto, Ontario, she later moved to California, where she currently resides with her family. Her literary journey began during her college years when a summer spent volunteering in an Indian orphanage inspired her debut novel, Secret Daughter.

Published in two thousand ten, Secret Daughter quickly became a New York Times bestseller and achieved international acclaim, being translated into over thirty languages. The novel garnered numerous accolades, including a shortlist nomination for the South African Boeke Literary Prize and a longlisting for the International Dublin Literary Award. It was also recognized as an IndieNext Great Read and a Target Book Club Pick.

Following the success of her first novel, Gowda released her second work, The Golden Son, in two thousand fifteen, which also became a #1 international bestseller. This novel received the prestigious French literary prize, Prix des Lyceens Folio, and was featured as a Target Book Club Pick and a Costco Buyer's Pick. Together, her first two novels have sold over two million copies worldwide.

In October two thousand nineteen, she published her third novel, The Shape of Family, followed by her fourth novel, A Great Country, which is set to be released in two thousand twenty-four. A Great Country is described as a gripping contemporary exploration of the complexities within a close-knit Indian-American family, particularly in the wake of a violent encounter with the police.