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mehunold's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
jsalyers520's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored this book. I don't know enough culturally or regionally about India to know if the representation of caste and conditions were accurate, but from a story-telling perspective this was captivating. I chose to listen to this on audio to make sure I was capturing correct pronunciation and inflection versus skimming or losing part of the story due to not understanding. The narrator was amazing.
I love Geeta's mothering nature despite having no children. I loved the chaotic chatter of the women and the nosey-ness of the group. This is one of my favorite types of reads.
Some notes I jotted down while reading:
Chapter 11 - "that girl's achievements mattered little, as she, Geeta herself would feel later in life, she was only as successful as those around her allowed her to be." wow...
I was taken aback throughout how nonchalantly all the women discussed abuse, r@pe, acide attacks, etc. No wonder this is a story about killing no good men.
Chapter 20 - the whole thing. It was so powerful. My favorite chapter of the book. "she regretted these were her choices, violence or violation." as a woman, how relatable.
I found the "curses" in this book particularly hilarious: "you are a shit nugget," and "I should shove this up your pisshole," and "I forgot what an ingrown hair you are." I was honestly laughing out loud at how petty and mean these ladies are.
***SPOILERS***
*
*
*
Note - Saloni is like a ride or die bitch. "Everyone one already thinks your husband is dead, we could just take care of him." LOL bestie, thanks!
I was honestly shocked Geeta thought she was more vile than Ramesh, and then she feels sorry for him. FOR WHAT? Abusive piece of shit asshole. Just for him to turn around and fuck her over again... whew.
Did she really love him? I don't think so. She talks about "the memory of love."
Personally, I wish the had killed him. But I guess that would have let him get off easier than he deserved, so it wasn't terrible. I found all the references to true crime shows a little silly and overdone, but it didn't ruin the book for me.
Definitely recommend - 5 stars!
I love Geeta's mothering nature despite having no children. I loved the chaotic chatter of the women and the nosey-ness of the group. This is one of my favorite types of reads.
Some notes I jotted down while reading:
Chapter 11 - "that girl's achievements mattered little, as she, Geeta herself would feel later in life, she was only as successful as those around her allowed her to be." wow...
I was taken aback throughout how nonchalantly all the women discussed abuse, r@pe, acide attacks, etc. No wonder this is a story about killing no good men.
Chapter 20 - the whole thing. It was so powerful. My favorite chapter of the book. "she regretted these were her choices, violence or violation." as a woman, how relatable.
I found the "curses" in this book particularly hilarious: "you are a shit nugget," and "I should shove this up your pisshole," and "I forgot what an ingrown hair you are." I was honestly laughing out loud at how petty and mean these ladies are.
***SPOILERS***
*
*
*
Note - Saloni is like a ride or die bitch. "Everyone one already thinks your husband is dead, we could just take care of him." LOL bestie, thanks!
I was honestly shocked Geeta thought she was more vile than Ramesh, and then she feels sorry for him. FOR WHAT? Abusive piece of shit asshole. Just for him to turn around and fuck her over again... whew.
Did she really love him? I don't think so. She talks about "the memory of love."
Personally, I wish the had killed him. But I guess that would have let him get off easier than he deserved, so it wasn't terrible. I found all the references to true crime shows a little silly and overdone, but it didn't ruin the book for me.
Definitely recommend - 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Physical abuse, Death, and Murder
decie's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Pedophilia
emherrick's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Blood
lochnessvhs's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Alcoholism, Violence, Classism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Infertility
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, and Infidelity
rainbowarpaint's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
t33_'s review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
4.0
Dark witty hilarious story that is about sisterhood and women empowerment
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars for me
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, and Physical abuse
angela005's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Sexism, Misogyny, Classism, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infertility, Gaslighting, Violence, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Gun violence
plaingirl21's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
just_one_more_paige's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
There's very little about a book blurb along the lines of "a group of women secretly helping each other kill off their terrible husbands" that doesn't appeal to me. I mean, I don't usually go for thrillers, but that description led me to believe it wouldn't be the traditional "keeps me awake at night" kind of intense that usually makes me steer clear of the genre. So, here we are.
Five years ago, Geeta's husband disappeared. Rumors abound that she killed him, despite all Geeta's assurances to the contrary. Sometimes, those rumors are convenient...people tend to leave her alone, no one threatening or attempting to control her. And it seems that other women have noticed. When a woman in Geeta's micro-loan group approaches her and asks for help getting rid of her own husband, Geeta finds herself helping (against her better judgement and intentions). And things escalate from there, until Geeta finds herself as both legitimate accomplice and murderer, embroiled in the middle of an illegal liquor business/local gangster fiasco, facing the surprise return of a perhaps-not-as-contrite-as-he-acts husband, and fighting to protect the life of freedom that she worked so hard to build.
This book brings it, from the beginning, with the drama and the gossip (small town/village vibes, I see you) and the heavy sarcasm about being a woman, a wife, and the “joys of motherhood.” I really cannot count the number of times that I snort-laughed at it all. It's all quite salacious. And that feeds so smoothly into the first requests that Geeta receives from fellow women, asking for help removing their own no-good husbands from their lives. It's funny and ridiculous and entertaining until...it's not quite, anymore. And the thing is, I can't tell as what point that is, or when the turn happens exactly, but at some point, the hilarity of "bad husbands" turns into very real bad husbands, those who physically and emotionally abuse their wives, rape other women, sexually abuse children, and more. And the juxtaposition was pretty jarring for me. While I understand conceptually dark/gallows humor, and have loved books with it before, the way this novel develops, I found myself feeling kind of guilty for finding some of the drama/interactions funny, in the context of those types of abuse/transgressions. It's a fine line to be walked, and I think that that discomfort means Shroff might have actually walked it really well. But still, it wasn't always a comfortable reading experience as I tried to parse and justify my emotional responses. (Reading the Author's Note afterwards did give me a bit of clarity and grace, on that front, which I do want to mention, for transparency.)
Similarly, somewhere in the first half, I made this note while reading: "It feels fairly surface level, but there is an interrogation of caste and gender and the intersectionality of those as justifications for mistreatment (in this case primarily violence against women) that is an important one to recognize and call out." And it began in that surface level way, for sure. But again, as the novel progressed, that exploration got deeper and a bit more nuanced, though considering the type of story being told, with a little bit of satire and a heavy grounding in the exaggerated drama of this women's group, it was limited in the extent to which it could reach. (Similar to above, there was some insight into Shroff's goals on this front in the Author's Note at the end as well - ones that are thematically in line with some of the intent in The Immortal King Rao, though the genres are quite different). Though I will say, it was quite satisfying to me as a reader, if not an actual fix, to see these “invisible" women - these mothers and wives - use that invisibility to their advantage in getting away with murder (as it were, lolz).
I definitely want to point out a few content warnings. Obviously the violence against women (sexual, physical, emotional, verbal...all of it really) was intense and pervasive. The cycle of abusive relationships - interpersonally and as wrapped up with social standards and expectations - was central to the plot. It was fully and fairly examined, but it was ubiquitous and readers should be aware of that. And there was quite a bit of fat shaming throughout as well. Perhaps that's culturally accurate, but it was still a lot.
Shroff created something really unique here. She presents the danger in questioning masculinity, and the belittling of woman that goes hand-in-hand with that, with an unflinching gaze. At the same time, she declares, in no uncertain terms, that what a person does to survive, and what surviving makes them into, is never something to apologize for. And that's a message I can get behind wholeheartedly. So, basically... This was the strangest mix of hilarity - humorous blackmailing and extortion and murder planning and bumbling gangsters - and very important social messaging and awareness on some heavy AF topics. I both appreciated the entertainment and the complexity of the relationships the women had with each other (which were allowed to be supportive and ugly/flawed in equal, and realistic, turns) and was conflicted by it all. A very singular reading experience.
“Her grapes, whether sour or fair, were her grapes.”
“Bystanders shoulder their own blame.”
“But I think that she was capable of anything because everything had already happened to her. [...] She was fearless because she'd already suffered what the rest of us live in fear of.”
“…just another example of women living within the spaces that others defined.”
“It wasn’t [...] so much that women loved their husbands and couldn't live without them. It was that the outside world made life without them utter shit; you needed a man in the house in order to be left in peace. They didn't really do much, but their simple pulse was a form of protection. Like pimps.”
"We're happy to be accessories. Like jewelry, but way more dangerous..."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Gun violence, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Police brutality