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3.5 

The Bandit Queens

By Parini Shroff
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful—until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands—in this razor-sharp debut.

"A radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Shondaland, She Reads, CrimeReads

Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him—he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die.

It turns out that being known as a “self-made” widow comes with some perks. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It’s even been good for business; no one dares to not buy her jewelry.

Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her “expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal.

And not all of them are asking nicely.

With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built—but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village.

Filled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won’t soon forget.

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3036 Reviews

3.5
“What a darkly comic, sharp-tongued novel! It danced on the edge of tragedy whilst delivering biting social critique with a wicked wit. I really enjoyed it and I loved Geeta, the main protagonist. All the conflicts, the ambivalences, the experiences, that Geeta oscillates between and within were very human and made her a well-imagined character who could carry the weighty themes that Parini Shroff weaves into the narrative. Ultimately, the novel explores domestic abuse and the suffocating structures of patriarchal society, especially within marriage. Shroff balances this with sardonic humour, quick-witted dialogue, and an ensemble of cursing women who I found myself absolutely rooting for. Geeta was compelling from the start, and Saloni, her frenemy-turned-ally, grows into one of the novel’s most surprising, and, for me, enjoyable characters. Shroff weaves intersectional insights into India’s caste system, religious and gender-based ostracism, and the complexities of shame (who feels it and for what) into an story that also manages to be entertaining. That’s quite a feat. And it’s what Shroff intentionally aimed at - as she notes at the end - humour was used as a bolster to prevent the book collapsing under the weight of these very real and weighty issues. Shroff doesn't just make you laugh - she makes you think and reconsider the roles we all play in the systems we claim to hate.”

About Parini Shroff

Parini Shroff received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied under Elizabeth McCracken, Alexander Chee, and Cristina García. She is a practicing attorney and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bandit Queens is her debut novel.

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