Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
I know I know that title! Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows is part of the Reese Witherspoon bookclub canon. I bought a copy for a friend as part of a birthday present. And since she and I celebrate one day apart, I bought a copy as a birthday present to myself too. That was a year and a half ago.
Then while perusing through Libby, I noticed the audiobook was available. I immediately hit borrow and download. I am so glad I did.
Synopsis
Okay, so what is this book exactly? Well, it’s not a collection of short erotica. Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows follows Nikki, a twenty-something British Indian, on her path to finding herself, as modern youths are wont to do. Her older sister Mindi is more of a traditionalist and is looking for an arranged marriage. Because of this desire, Mindi sends Nikki to the Sikh enclave of Southall. While pinning her sister’s matrimonial onto a bulletin board of the Gurdwara, she happens upon a post looking for a female teacher for an all-female creative writing class. As a law school dropout and current bartender living in the studio above the pub, Nikki could use the extra income. And so we follow along as Nikki gets entangled in the mysteries and politics of the titular Punjabi widows.
Review
This book is an amalgam of genres: drama, mystery, rom-com. Kulwinder, the Community Director of the Gurdwara, is deceptive in advertising a creative writing course. The class is remedial reading and writing for adult women. Nikki soon finds herself at a loss on how to proceed.
Fear of gossip directs the mystery in Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows. Two sources of gossip in Southall are the local gang, the Brothers, and widow Tarampal. Kulwinder’s connection to the Brothers and Tarampal makes her desire for closure regarding her daughter’s supposed suicide difficult.
It’s not all dark in Southall. As the title suggests, the novel explores female sexuality. Each widow’s character has a full arch. A mother and daughter duo have a hilarious dynamic. A young widow thinks about dating for the first time. Nikki and her sister Mindi are out there too. Nikki’s relationship with Jason is pure rom-com.
Final Thoughts
I’m finicky with audiobooks, but Meera Syal distinctly narrates each character. Balli Kaur Jaswal writes characters that are diverse and individual. She does an outstanding job of writing layered and detailed prose without going into purple prose territory.
I do have a physical copy of the book, and can see myself reading it to revisit Nikki and the Punjabi widows of Southall.
