The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of Secret Daughter returns with an unforgettable story of love, honor, tradition, and identity.The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency at one of the best hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village's disputes. But he is uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage required to take on the role.Back home in India, Anil's childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena's romantic hopes, and forces her to make choices that will hold drastic repercussions for her family.Tender and bittersweet, The Golden Son illuminates the decisions we must make to find our true selves.that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities.Back home in India, Anil's closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena's romantic hopes, and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more--changing them both and the people they love forever.Tender and bittersweet, The Golden Son tells the story of two people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; and illuminates the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves.Praise for The Golden Son"Shilpi Somaya Gowda is as adept at crafting disparate, fully realized worlds--a village in India, a medical school in Texas--as she is at creating compelling characters. I ached and cheered for Leena and Anil as they struggle to live lives of their own choosing amidst the demands of tradition and the sometimes beautiful, sometimes painful bonds of family."--Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Belong to Me and The Precious One"At turns harrowing and uplifting, The Golden Son is an international tale of two childhood friends grappling with parental and cultural expectations as they embark on journeys of self-discovery. Compulsively readable and inspiring, Shilpi Somaya Gowda's latest novel explores questions of responsibility and independence while offering a fascinating glimpse into rural life in India and medical residency in Dallas."--Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Painted Girls"Shilpi Somaya Gowda paints an illuminating portrait of a young Indian man who must learn to reconcile his career ambitions in America with the traditional values and expectations of his family in India. Compellingly written, The Golden Son will stay with you long after you've turned the last page."--Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers"The Golden Son swings back and forth across the world with easeful dexterity, pulling us deep into the lives of two protagonists who are as different as can be, and yet strangely similar. Shilpi Somaya Gowda's great achievement is this: she makes each locale she depicts fascinating and true and original; she makes each character she draws so heartbreakingly vibrant that even after we finish reading we can't forget them."--Chitra Divakaruni, American Book Award-winning author of Mistress of Spices and Oleander Girl"From a poor village in India to the journey of a boy who escapes to become a brilliant and sensible doctor at a high-tech medical center in Dallas, Shilpi Gowda's sweeping love story is meticulous in its detail, heartfelt--and a great read." --Samuel Shem, M.D., author of The House of God and At the Heart of the Universe