I’ve never understood why people don’t enjoy reading. Worse than that is when people say they find reading boring. To that I rely on an old adage: ‘Reading would only be boring if one had no imagination’. I genuinely believe that reading is the best fun you can have with your clothes on. Not only is it exercise for your brain, but reading is also freedom. You can go anywhere and be anything, all from the comfort of your own bed or armchair. And, on top of all that, it’s free entertainment in a world where companies want subscription fees for all these multiples of streamers. Whether one series is exclusive to Netflix or this latest film is on Amazon Prime. But reading is free. You don’t need to buy loads of books – unless you want to. Personally, a lot of the books I read are borrowed from the library. And speaking of libraries…
As someone who consumes books as quickly as I do, I’m always looking for book recommendations. This one came indirectly via Angourie Rice. Most of you are probably familiar with Angourie from playing the role of Betty Brandt in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films. She also played the lead role in the musical adaptation of Mean Girls. In addition to being an actress, Angourie is a self-proclaimed book lover. If you check out her Instagram, she is always visiting book shops all over the world and sharing her latest reads through a second account called the Community Library. Naturally, Angourie’s accounts are the kind of thing I’m going to follow for ideas to add to my ‘To be Read’ pile. After hearing her talk about The Bandit Queens, I just had to add this one to the pile.
Parini Shroff’s debut novel is set in an Indian village where the protagonist is a woman called Geeta. She is a bit of a loner and has a small group of acquaintances. Geeta’s husband has been missing for several years, and practically everybody in the village believes that Geeta murdered him. She didn’t, but she has no interest in correcting them because it’s the sort of street cred that works in her favour.
Geeta’s acquaintances are all part of a loan group. They each have their own little businesses, and they pay what they can each month to work away at the debt they owe. All the women – aside from Geeta – are hindered by abusive husbands who drink too much, causing them to have less money than they should have by the time the loan day rolls around.
But things take a turn when one of Geeta’s friends asks for help. She wants revenge on the husband who has wronged her. More to the point, she wants to kill her husband and get away with it. Because she believes that Geeta has already done that, she wants her help every step of the way. What is Geeta to do? If she admits that she hasn’t killed her husband, then she will lose face. The issue then is that it might not stop at one. There are a lot of women who all want Geeta’s help. This is the sort of thing where once it’s out, you can’t put it back in the bottle.
This book features a wide range of entertaining characters. The final act unfolds like an out-of-control sitcom. It really is hilarious. Plus, I learnt a lot. Like pierced noses in Indian culture is a sign of a woman being married. Only if they are divorced or widowed can they take their nose ring out. And that all comes back to what I was saying at the start of this review. The power of reading. The power of imagination. I have never been to India. But this book made me believe I had.
My Goodreads rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
