Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Shilpi Somaya Gowda is the New York Times bestselling author of 4 novels: Secret Daughter (2010), The Golden Son (2015), The Shape of Family (2020), and A Great Country (coming 3/26/24). Her novels have been translated into over 30 languages, been #1 international bestsellers in several countries and sold more than two million copies worldwide. Shilpi was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. In college, she spent a summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage, which seeded the idea for her first novel: Secret Daughter was an IndieNext Great Read, a Target Book Club Pick, a ChaptersIndigo Heather’s Pick, and an Amnesty International Book Club Pick. It was a finalist for the South African Boeke Literary Prize and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It is currently in production with Amazon Studios to be a feature film, starring Priyanka Chopra and Sienna Miller.The Golden Son was also a Target Book Club Pick, a Costco Buyer’s Pick, and was awarded the French literary prize, Prix des Lyceens Folio. The Shape of Family was an international and American bestseller. Her next novel, A Great Country will be published 3/26/24 in North America, and in other territories. It has already been named a Most Anticipated Read by Zibby Mag.Shilpi holds an MBA from Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain scholar. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Children's Defense Fund, and is a Patron of Childhaven International, the organization for which she volunteered in India. She now lives in California.