The Bandit Queens

I found this book lighter than expected considering its subject matter! It's a well-written, clever, and entertaining debut.

The story follows Geeta, a thirty-something-year-old woman living in - and ostracized by - a small village in India; everyone assumes she had something to do with her husband's mysterious disappearance. She tells herself she's made peace with her pariah status, but when a woman in her loan group comes to her for help ‘taking care of' her own abusive husband, she can't bring herself to ignore her - and finds herself in an increasingly tangled web of plans, lies, and backstabbers. Enemies turn to friends and back again as the women examine their relationships and grapple with the age-old question: How many murders is too many, anyway?

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for my ARC.

Holy shit. This was so, so, so good. Sassy; insightful; tender; enraging; illuminating; suspenseful; and smart as hell. And to think I felt dubious going in, fearing it would be fluff! Quite the opposite: I'd call it dense, and if that conjures up a negative impression, let that go. There's just so much in it: toxic masculinity, domestic violence, poverty, injustice, consent, ... but all of it served with a loving heart and a pretty hefty dose of brain. Let's say it's packed. I wasn't able to finish it in one day—see below—but I shuffled priorities to nibble at it every chance I had.You've read the blurb, you know the premise... but you have no idea where it's going. I felt off-balance for most of the book, thinking I had a grasp on the situations and characters, then things change: circumstances progress in interesting ways, and the characters, we learn more about them, information that changes how we see them. Really beautifully done: Shroff writes crisply, sparingly, with an impressive vocabulary, a wry wit, and a poker player's sharpness. We learn what she wants us to learn, when she wants us to learn it, and it's masterful. Cruelty, kindness, nuance, complexity; the book makes demands of the reader, and it rewards in kind.On the subject of demands: Shroff throws a big fuck-you to non-Indians. I spent many minutes, cumulatively easily over an hour, getting up to sit at my laptop and look up Gujarati or Hindi words, Indian customs. Sometimes she explains them a few pages later, more often not. Sometimes they're clear from context, sometimes not. Navrati, kabbadi, crore, gadheda... my time was well spent, and I was curious, and I learned. I am thankful to Shroff for not pandering to me.I loved this book so much that I ordered a copy for myself, to reread and to loan out. (To you, should you wish). But before you read it: if you are not Indian, please take time to learn about Phoolan Devi first. I read [b:this graphic novel 50162467 Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen Claire Fauvel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575492203l/50162467.SX50_SY75.jpg 72611481], which J. at Samizdat had pressed on me some months ago, mere days before Bandit Queens—very, very fortuitous timing. Knowing about Devi was infinitely helpful to me in understanding context.Many parts don't add up: some suspension of disbelief is required for the coincidences, a few character interactions, plot gimmicks. All of these are completely forgivable. Wow, what a book.

I had no idea what to expect having (as usual) not read the blurb beforehand - I don't even know where I came across this! Anyway, it was a good fun read, with lots of dark humour and unexpected events.
I enjoyed looking up the Indian phrases to get a bit more depth and understanding (thanks Google).
I've since read some negative reviews and can understand where they are coming from (accusations of stereotyping and poverty porn) but I find this quite a harsh take. I found it uplifting and educational with the right amount of tragicomedy.

Full disclosure, I have no knowledge of the real-life aspects of this story portrayed in this book. I think if it was something I was well-versed in I might have enjoyed it a bit more. The things I didn't like about the book are a total preference thing as opposed to the book itself. 

I wasn't sure what I was getting into but I was drawn to the cover and the summary given had me hooked. While the book lived up to it, I just had a really difficult time getting into it. It's a more aggressive plot than I like, which again, is something I might have realized if I'd known the origins of the story. It was definitely interesting. I'd be curious to look into the history more before looking through a fictional lens. 

Aside from the plot, I wasn't a fan of the writing style. The dialogue flowed nicely, however, the amount of italicized words became a major distraction for me. The emphasis ended up getting lost. I didn't mind it so much when explaining new words and culture but in the regular flow of things, it became irksome. 

I'm glad I gave it a go. I can see it becoming a popular book upon its release. I certainly learned something and was able to immerse myself in another culture for a little while which is always enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books/Random House for providing me with a free ARC copy to read and review.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff is a female-centric novel set in rural India. It revolves around women bonding together to fight against the inequities they face in their daily lives in a small village. The feel-good revenge story posits a group of women who seek to get rid of their no-good husbands while building a better life for themselves and their children. The main character, Geeta, inadvertently becomes a “murder consultant”, inspiring the women to take control of their lives, much like the historical Bandit Queen of folklore did.

While the pacing is slow, that gives the reader time to invest in the characters and keep them engaged. You'll find yourself cheering as the women take on their oppressors and build a community of sisterhood.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel.