A review by shermreads
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

3.0

It's a hard thing to admit that your expectations for a book might've been a bit too high, especially when you know that what you had projected it was more of a condemnation of yourself. Coming off the heels of Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing, I found myself craving a literary-historical legacy that I could relate to – one that represented my social reality, my historical ancestry and my family, in the hopes that I could finally see myself. As a Punjabi girl living in Singapore, generations deep into diasporic life, I hoped that I would see that in Balli Kaur Jaswal's work.

Instead, what I got were character tropes, used (somewhat redundantly) plot devices, and a narrative that is both overly simplistic and unnecessarily complex at the same time. I did appreciate how the same culture can manifest differently across different generations and socio-economic classes though! In particular, I appreciate the way the character of Nikki struggled with this part of her identity, the way it manifested in a soft-spot for homemade cha, and her eventual reckoning and return. That being said, that was about all that I appreciated in the character of Nikki, who uses 'being feminist' as an excuse for acting selfishly and hurting those around her.

Many complex feelings but I'd love to hear more recommendations for female Punjabi authors if anyone has any!