The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff on January 3, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Thrillers / Crime, Fiction / Women
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
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This was a humorous story, although it used dark humor, that covered abuse, gender, caste, religion, patriarchy, sisterhood, and resilience. I love a book with a satisfying ending, and this didn’t disappoint.
The premise of this one had me hooked right away. This is set in India. Geeta’s husband (Ramesh) left her 5 years ago and she hasn’t heard from or seen him since. In her small village, people are convinced she killed him. She is very isolated because of this. But also, no one messes with her either.
Geeta runs her own jewelry business and many people are too scared to not buy from her. She is also part of a Microloan group. It’s for women, financed by a man so that they can have an income. Apparently some of the men allow it because it gives them money for their alcohol habit.
Some of the other village women decide they would like to be widows as well, so they get Geeta to assist them. Does Geeta get in over her head? What really happened to Ramesh?
This book was clever and darkly humorous. The characters are cleverly written and complex. A content warning, this does contain a scene of sexual assault. The themes are serious but delivered with humor. This would make for a great book club pick. This is for fans of My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.