The Mistress's Daughter

The Mistress's Daughter by A. M. Homes is simply mesmerizing and expertly executed. Author Homes was adopted shortly after her birth. At the age of thirty-one, her biological mother contacted her, causing an avalanche of emotions and psychological turmoil. Homes explains, with brutal honesty, the impact of encounters with her birth mother and father, as well as what becomes her obsession to search for her true identity. This obsession reaches an intensity in the chapter titled "The Electronic Anthropologist," during which Homes extensively searches in archives and records offices for documents. The memoir concludes with a chapter titled "My Grandmother's Table." It is in the final pages where Homes reveals the understanding she has reached. Highly recommended!