The Unexpected Daughter

by Sheryl Parbhoo

Three people’s lives intersect in a tumultuous yet redeeming way that none of them could have ever predicted. Jenny is a young professional from the South with an upbringing she wants to forget. She meets Roshan, an Indian immigrant who has moved to the United States with his mother, Esha, to escape family ghosts. With strong cultural tradition, Esha has devoted her entire life to her only child, both for his own good and for her personal protection from a painful past. Roshan understands his role as his mother’s refuge, and from an early age, he commits himself to caring for her. But when Jenny and Roshan embark on a forbidden, intercultural relationship, all three get tangled into an inseparable web—betrayal, violence, and shame—leaving them forced to make choices about love and family they never wanted to make while finding peace where they never expected to look.

Genres: Fiction

380 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Sheryl Parbhoo is an author and blogger. A native southerner, her interest in culture led to a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Memphis. Her longing for the spice of life culminated when she married her high school sweetheart, a South African Indian immigrant, and became a stay-at-home mom to their five children for over 20 years.

Sheryl has blogged for years about her spicy masala/southern cornbread way of life, raising her large multicultural family, and navigating the quirks of Southern and Indian in-law relationships. These, along with the responses received from readers, are the real-life inspirations for her novel, The Unexpected Daughter.

For more, follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sherylparbhooauthor,
Twitter @SherylParbhoo and on Instagram.

Reviews

[Jennifer Blankfein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giveaway on my blog starting Monday, May 1, 2017 Book Nation by Jen https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com!
Enter next week for a chance to win a copy of this great book!

I loved this story, enjoyed following each character as they fought their own personal battles and learned a lot about Indian culture and tradition along the way! Roshan and Jenny have a unique friendship that grows into more but they resist the temptation to commit, he due to his Indian background, customs and parental influences, and she due to her fear of abandonment, and her difficult upbringing surrounded by poverty and addiction. After fighting the attraction, going their separate ways and living their lives apart for a decade, they come together and are faced with the same obstacles and more. As author Sheryl Parbhoo shows us in The Unexpected Daughter, it is impossible to escape our formative years, good or bad; it is a part of who we are and how we live in this world. What we can do is make good decisions for ourselves, embrace opportunities, live authentically and love with an open heart.

One of my favorite types of books is a story of immigration, assimilation and the mixing of cultures. The Unexpected Daughter delivers all of that so well as the backdrop with a rollercoaster ride of a story of a modern multicultural family as they come to terms with their past and grow together, navigating love, loyalty, addiction, ambition, death, birth and celebration….Life. A wonderful debut!
https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com/

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a thing or two or three about inter-cultural marriage and author Sheryl Parbhoo does too! There is so much to love about this book. The pacing is perfect as it allows you to get to know the characters. I like the way the story is told from three perspectives, that of, Jenny Jenkins, blonde southerner with a dysfunctional family she'd care not to talk about. Roshan Desai, an Indian immigrant who came to the U.S. as a young boy. He's been straddling two cultures for years, but it's been a struggle and Esha, Roshan's mom. She's a very traditional Indian woman and parent. It's been a struggle to raise her son they way she wanted and she too would rather not talk about her old life in India. The story spans a little more than ten years as Jenny and Roshan complete dental school, start their lives, and both struggle everyday with who they are and who they want to be. Even Esha struggles with who she needs to be as a mother and mother-in-law, and who she wants to be as a woman. There are plenty of surprises in the story, so the Unexpected Daughter, has many fine layers. You'll learn a little Gujarati (which turns out is similar to Urdu, which I know a bit of), you'll want to chow down on Indian food (palak paneer, anyone?) and you will see that a smash up of cultures, such as the one at the root of this story takes hard work, acceptance, understanding, and most of all love. Thank you to the author for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

[JB3]

Wow! What a neat story! It was very satisfying to experience the significant/organic growth of the characters, at the expense of deep-seated (yet, oft-times, out-dated) "traditions." For, it was only in the relinquishing of strict traditions that pure love expressed, and transformed this family! (What a journey!)

I was surprised to find myself as emotionally invested in the characters as I was...Plus, I learned a lot about Indian food/culture!

The author has a great knack for painting vivid images.

Have we heard the last from Wanda?!

Could Bollywood make this into a movie?!

I look forward to more novels from this author.

[Susan Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unexpected Daughter is a riveting and complex story about cultural differences, addiction, and family. The story is told from three points of view; Jenny, a young white woman who has faced numerous disappointments in her life, making it hard to trust anyone enough to let them in; Roshan, Jenny’s next friend who is torn between his Indian culture and family and his love for Jenny; Esha, Roshan’s mother who wants to keep Roshan insulated in his culture. These three fascinating characters clash and love and protect in a story that is a tumult of emotions. It was intriguing to read about the cultural traditions of India—their ceremonies, their faith, their clothing, and their food, and the author described it all brilliantly.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very fortunate to win a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. We read books for many different reasons. We read for entertainment, to escape reality for awhile, to educate ourselves, for comfort and for inspiration. The Unexpected Daughter is written in a way that will fulfill any reader's reason for choosing to read it. There is a message of family, love, courage, compassion & tolerance amidst pain, loss, ignorance & emotional struggle.

The story follows main characters Roshan, his mother, Esha and Jenny. Roshan and Esha immigrated to the United States from India when Roshan was young. Jenny grew up in the South. Each escaped from family struggles to try to start new lives and leave all the drama behind, but was it possible? Esha raised Roshan in a culturally traditional home. Family had been woven into a beautiful tapestry with their traditions and beliefs. However, when Roshan and Jenny choose to begin an inter-cultural relationship that tapestry begins to unravel with feelings of betrayal, abandonment, anger and shame.

The author draws you into this story from page one. She does does a wonderful job of opening the eyes of the reader to the culture and traditions of the Indian family. As a reader, you will find yourself invested in these characters lives as they make decisions, whether good or bad, as they take this roller coaster ride called life together. While cultural tradition plays a big role in this family's story, the message of the strength of family and the power of love and tolerance is universal and one which any reader will connect to. I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed.

[Thelma Fountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The introduction to Indian culture that this book provides is very interesting. I learned so much about about their ideas about family. I had a real hard time with the Character Roshan He was so immature I just did not like him. His mother Esha struggled with cultural issues that I struggled to relate to but she did not strike me as unlikable. she was not so self focused the way Roshan acted and thought. This was a very interesting read and did shine a light on a culture very different than mine.

[Christy Nunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheryl writes engaging characters and definitely captures the reader's attention from the get-go. Even without the same cultural backgrounds, the characters and stories are relatable in a universal way... cultural struggles, familial backgrounds and expectations, baggage, battling your own demons, and making your own future. Her characters are flawed individuals, making good, questionable, and even horrible decisions. And that's what I enjoyed... it's not trite or sappy, but has depth and rawness. What's more, she gets you to CARE about these flawed, imperfect people. A good read and I look forward to more from her!

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review & giveaway now on my blog: http://www.thebookwhisperer.org/2017/...

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of complex characters who drive you crazy with their decidedly human flaws- just like real people in real life. I was pleased that the 3 main characters were not paragons of virtue and were presented "warts and all". The evolution of the relationships over time, through trying circumstances and challenges and from different cultural perspectives, kept me interested throughout the book.
I enjoyed the author's writing style quite a bit although I was distracted by numerous editing errors.

[Carla Suto · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE UNEXPECTED DAUGHTER by Sheryl Parbhoo is a compelling story of love, family and the challenges of modern intercultural relationships. It is told from the perspectives of Roshan Desai, his mother Esha and his wife Jenny. Esha and Roshan moved to the US from India when Roshan was a young boy to escape a shameful family tragedy. As a single mother, Esha has raised Roshan within the strict traditions of their Indian culture and has tried to help them both forget their dark past. Jenny is a Southern woman with a troubling past that she is also trying to forget. Jenny and Roshan meet in dental school and forge an unlikely bond that eventually turns into more than just friendship. They both struggle with their painful histories and the strong influence of their family backgrounds and customs. The author draws the reader into the lives of these characters as they navigate their own personal battles of addiction, family loyalty, tolerance and the need for acceptance. The story is told with compassion and insight in a way that made the characters very relatable. There are a few twists and turns to the plot which kept me interested to the very end. I enjoyed this engaging story of the power of love and the strength of family under difficult circumstances.

[Wyly OBrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is endearing, exasperating, and educational. The characters are realistically flawed and perfectly relatable. At various times throughout the book, I found myself practically yelling into the story, both cheering and admonishing to make the characters see things my way. I particularly enjoyed the development of the relationship between mother and daughter-in-law – progressing from outright distaste to guarded tolerance to mutual understanding.

Parbhoo’s description of the Indian culture is unapologetic without being biased or over the top. We get a glimpse into the family ties that can hold it all together, sometimes so tight that it strangles. I started out wondering how this clash of ideologies could ever resolve. In the end, the grand lesson is that our differences make us stronger together.

“Yes, family had to stick together. And Esha knew from experience that we don’t choose our family, but we’re connected somehow with them until the end.”

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. It is a story of two people from different cultures coming together. The story line is over several years which also makes it very interesting. I learned a lot about Indian culture as well. The plot goes in many different directions which adds to the story. In the end we really are not all that different. We are expected to do certain things no matter the culture and there are always those addictive personalities which try to drag us down. I could relate in many ways.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting plot but unfortunately the writing didn't live up to my expectations. The best parts were the author's wonderful descriptions of the delicious sounding Indian food. And the introduction of the cultural mores involving arranged marriages and caring for/pleasing ones family were interesting. But characters were shallow and dialog fell flat many times.

[Lorraine Lai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written peek into the collision of cultures. The same timeline written from three different perspectives brought the story to life. I really enjoyed the Esha chapters. The tension between her and Jenny was so palatable, and at times made me angry, and at other times, sad. Roshan is caught in the middle of two very strong women and in a cultural spiderweb and has to try to build a bridge between the two, or drown trying.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.freshcoffeeblog.com/2017/0...

[Sweta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have rated it higher if not for the plethora of typos. Seriously, about every 4 pages contained a typo.

[Elizabeth McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really wonderful book! Great storytelling and engaging characters. I highly recommend this one.

[Veronica White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, an absolute must read!

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this tumultuous, cross-cultural love story. It's fast-paced and heartfelt.

[Melissa Monk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

Enjoyed this book until the end. It was a good read. So sad how it takes so long for us to realize we need help. This books shows us how important it is to accept others as they are.