What defines motherhood? Does it have to do simply with giving birth, or is it more closely connected to the matter of raising a child? In her fourth novel for adults, Tish Cohen tackles weighty topics, such as adoption and divorce, while maintaining a light tone. By striking a balance between escapist chick lit and serious drama, The Search Angel is an ideal summer read.

At the centre of the novel is Eleanor Sweet, the owner of an upscale baby-supply store who is struggling to have a child of her own. Eleanor is infertile, and her plans to adopt are put in jeopardy when her husband gets cold feet and backs out of both the adoption and their marriage. An adoptee herself (whose adoptive parents have both passed away), Eleanor has always been reluctant to search for her birth mother. But needing to prove she has a solid family support system, she embarks on a journey to track down her biological relatives, enlisting the help of a “search angel” who connects adopted children with their birth parents.

While Eleanor’s quest follows a fairly predictable path, the novel introduces the reader to a cast of intriguing secondary characters, including Eleanor’s sassy search angel, Isabelle; a secretive yet caring new neighbour, Noel; and a Great Dane that appears to be suffering depression. The novel’s supporting cast is so endearingly quirky, it’s fairly easy to overlook the fact that Eleanor herself is rather generic.

The Search Angel is a story of mothers and daughters, and Cohen handles her material with a sensitive touch. The author investigates the pros and cons of adoption from various angles, only occasionally slipping into clichés about the true meaning of family.