Lara has always know she was adopted---chosen---by her parents, but never really felt all that different until she is five when one of her classmates dubs Lara an alien. It is this that makes Lara take notice of the physical differences between her and her parents and makes her wonder if she really belongs. As years go by, different incidents, such as someone questioning if her father is bothering her in a deli not realizing they are father and daughter, keep her uneasy about where she fits into her family, and eventually with her friends, until she turns thirty when the woman who gave birth to her arrives at the party and turns Lara’s world on end, but at the same time, offers some answers and helps Lara find herself and where she fits in, with her family and in the world. As she approaches her thirtieth birthday, Lara is an accomplished business woman with a loving family and in a relationship with a guy who adores her, but whom she keeps at a distance for reasons she herself can’t explain. The arrival of her mother from Nigeria allows Lara to learn about her roots, learn the circumstances of her birth and how she came to be chosen by her former pop singing sensation mother and where some of her innate traits come from. As Lara learns about her past and her history, she is able to focus more on her present and future and is able to become present in her life and plan her future. Touchingly told, anyone who has never felt they fit in with their family or a certain group of friends will identify with Lara’s feelings of unease and uncertainty, even as she excels in her career. Lara learns that family comes in more than the traditional style and that one person can be a part of many different families at the same time.
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