A review by archytas
Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal

adventurous informative slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

I really enjoy fun books about heavy topics done well, and this one totally qualifies. I enjoyed it more than Kaur Jaswal's previous hit Erotic Novels for Punjabi Widows, which was good enough to make me want to pick this one up. The novel centers around three Filipino maids working in Singapore, and their involvement in trying to investigate when another maid is accused of murder. The three women - one in her 20s, one in her 30s and one in her 40s - face different challenges in work and life, and the book uses this to shed light on the worlds of foreign domestic workers, who often work 16 hour days, are underfed and have their movements and relationships tightly controlled. And yest, even given the shocking conditions, many are able to pull families out of desperate poverty as a result. Kaur Jaswal also touches on Duterte and the impact of his state driven violence on the economically vulnerable. 
But this, despite the topic, is a feel good novel where you are justified in knowing the ending for our characters will leave them happier than before, and where the friendships between them - and the FDW community in general - provide much of the heart of the book.  There is no lingering in misery, and scenes focus on resistance and rebellion (even of the silent mental kind) over the drama of abuse. 
There were a few minor pacing issues in the middle of the book - caused in part by the number of threads, all fascinating, Kaur Jasawl gives us, but overall I really loved this and will be digging out her earlier books in the hope they are this good.