Originally appearing as an excerpt in The New Yorker, this memoir by the author of The End of Alice and Jack relates how A.M. Homes' birth parents tracked her down 30 years after she was given up for adoption. The effect of Homes meeting her biological parents was strange and unexpected, and the story is at once hilarious, heartbreaking, and absurd. She writes about the shock of experiencing biological resemblance for the first time, and the oddness of having two mothers and fathers. Homes sheds light on how we all define our sense of self; and describes her own daughter, who has helped to mend her fractured life. "To my generation of writers, Homes is a kind of hero and The Mistress's Daughter is the latest example of her fearlessness and brilliance. It is a compelling, devastating and furiously good book written with an honesty few of us would risk."
