Reviewed by Teresa Syms for Readers' Favorite

The Unexpected Daughter by Sheryl Parbhoo is a very captivating story of how the lives of three people can be so opposite, and yet so similar. Jenny is a young professional from the old South, who carries with her the burden and baggage of a dysfunctional family she is trying to forget existed. She meets Roshan in college and an incredible bond develops between them. Roshan is an Indian immigrant who, with his mother, Esha, escaped their abusive past in India for a new life in the United States. Esha has raised her son as a single mother, after fleeing from her abusive and alcoholic artist husband. In one night of passion, Roshan and Jenny discover they are destined for each other. However, Esha has carved out Roshan’s life to the finest detail. The animosity towards his prearranged marriage to Priya causes turmoil and betrayal in his family life, which forces Roshan to find comfort in Jenny’s arms and alcohol. Surrounded by the pressures of his mother, his family and culture, Roshan slips farther into depression and alcoholism and turns away from his wife while trying to maintain a desperate relationship with Jenny. What a tangled web Roshan has woven. He is faced with making the choice of love or family.

I found The Unexpected Daughter by Sheryl Parbhoo to be an incredible story of courage, love, obligation and heartbreak. Sheryl Parbhoo has opened a window into what life in a traditional Indian family is like. From the very beginning of the story, I was captivated by the creation of her characters, the extreme differences in the cultures, and I could truly feel the animosity that was created between Jenny and Esha. As the years passed for Jenny and Roshan, even though they were torn apart by his obligations to his family and wife, their love burned deeply. Only through the birth of their daughter years later, and Roshan’s explosive behaviour during an alcoholic rage, could the two cultures truly be drawn into one true, united family, with his mother, Esha, finally coming to terms with her own demons. The story is very well written, full of intrigue and controversy. I was completely drawn in from the beginning. The book was difficult to put down and I find myself hungry for Indian food.