Fortune's Daughter by Alice Hoffman

I read a book by this author a couple of years ago while house-sitting called Blue Diary. I'd been told her work was a bit like that of Jodi Picoult. While they both examine contemporary issues and both write fiction, the similarities seem to end there.

This book tells the story of two women, one who reads people's fortunes through tea leaves and one who seeks her aid one day. Lila (the fortune teller) has a past she has hidden from her husband and most others that know her that comes spilling out after she meets Rae, a young girl who's useless boyfriend has left her pregnant and almost penniless. Although Lila seeks to repel Rae no doubt because of her own memories surfacing, Rae keeps coming back.

There were a number of interesting components to this book, one being the art of fortune telling. When Lila begins to see things in the leaves she doesn't want to see her profession becomes a problem. Like the backyard of her and her husband's house, nothing will grow there. She is infertile and will never have the child she hopes for; until spurred by memory she seeks out the baby adopted out by her parents without her consent. This leads her on a journey to where her husband grew up.

The book was interesting in that it brought up a lot of issues that women have faced. Firstly that of being blamed for pregnancy and unwantingly having a baby adopted out to avoid shame on the family. It also looked at Lila's suicide attempt and how instead of reaching out her parents sent her away. Although she has stemmed the flow of emotion from the loss she has suffered early in life, when Rae comes along, all the emotion comes spilling out forcing her to remember her past.

Rae on the other hand is stuck in a relationship with a man who expects her to do what he says and then disappears at random intervals. He abandons the relationship for good when he discovers her pregnancy leaving her with no income or emotional support that she so desperately needs causing her to turn to Lila.

The book is written exceptionally well, the metaphors surface throughout the pages and the struggles gone through by these two women as well as the continuing support from Richard (Lila's husband) despite expecting the worst from him keeps it readable and as the lives are exposed, you can feel the grievance still suffered. I would highly recommend it.