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

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-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

5.0

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started listening to the “Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows”, but I can happily say I was pleasantly surprise. This funny, lighthearted and emotional novel highlights the strength of community and friendship, while also emphasizing the challenges of balancing desire and duty. The story follows our main protagonist Nikki, who is the daughter of immigrant parents and raised in London. She spent most of her life struggling to balance the cultural, traditional expectations of her eastern upbringing with her deep desire to live a modern, independent life.

When her father’s death leaves her family in a financial bind, Nikki decides to make extra cash outside of her job working at a pub to teach creative writing classes at a local Punjabi community center. However, due to miscommunication, Nikki didn’t know that the women attending her class only joined under the pretense that they were going to learn how to read and write basic english. Not willing to back down from a challenge, Nikki decides to continue with her lessons only to soon learn that the stories these reserved widows were sharing were far wilder than she could ever expect.

An unlikely bond forms between Nikki and her students, but they have to keep the classes a secret from the “Brotherhood”, a group of conservative men who have appointed themselves as the moral police of the community. But the deeper Nikki gets involved with the people around her , the more she starts learning about the dark secrets that the community themselves have been hiding - including the unsolved murder of a young woman.

The narration of the audiobook was fantastic, and at one point I was so hooked that I couldn’t stop listening because I was on the edge of my seat. The writing is tender and thoughtful, and I really enjoyed the heart-warming development between Nikki and her students, and each of the characters have their own unique voices and stories to share. I felt like I lost myself into the drama of this world and community, and it’s such a bittersweet moment to part away once it was all over. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fun and captivating contemporary fiction story!
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