Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

Amazing! It has been a long time since I read a book that was this captivating from start to finish.

While the book could be classified as romance, mystery, or literary fiction it is my favorite genre of story: the quite yet impactful lives of ordinary women. The romance and mystery subplots are predictable and easily solvable, but provide a great backdrop for the larger narrative theme. I suppose this is what the genre "women's fiction" is meant to cover, but why stories that center women have to othered, I will never know...but I do digress.

The narrative is multi-faceted exploring the conflicts between men and women, traditional v. modern lifestyles and the cultural conception of aging women that is often 100% out of step with their lived experiences. No one aspect of the story stands out, it has parts that are sad, hilarious, touching and terrifying in equal measure, but overall you are transported into the lives of these women. The way it explores the cultural differences between traditional Punjabi families and their modern children while showing the stark similarities in how women are treated around the world makes for profound storytelling.

Published on 06 March 2018 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Book #54  of 2023