“The Bandit Queens” - Parini Shroff

 🐾 Read. This. Book. The subject matter is undeniably heavy: communalism, sectarian violence, misogyny, casteism, crushing poverty, abuse, DV. Where other books might falter under the weight of such topics, Shroff writes with the sensitivity due the subject matter mingled with a sly and surprising sense of humor, and it is this that sets BQ apart. Below are a selection of quotes that I felt highlighted Shroff’s sharp social commentary as well as her humor.

🐾 Residents of a small, Gujarati village, Saloni, Priya, Preity, Geeta, and Farah are not friends. Rivals, perhaps? Former friends, certainly. They are recipients of a group microloan which enables each to fund their own small businesses. 

🐾 Geeta is secretly reaping the joys of living independently after her gutter trash husband Ramesh, left her. Geeta is rumored to have murdered the abusive Ramesh, and she doesn’t bother to put the rumor to rest. The villagers who don’t view her as a vengeful murderess, consider her capable of witchcraft and fear she will cast her doom upon them like a curse. Thus, Geeta operates on the outer edges of the village - neither in nor out. 

🐾Geeta tells herself she is better off rid of all the villagers butting into her life, but the reader sees right away, that Geeta is lonely. The OG Bandit Queen, Phoolan Devi is a hero to Geeta. I had to do a bit of a dive to read about her. The portrayal of Phoolan Devi in media available outside India in the ‘90s was disdainful of her at best. At worst, it focused on her criminal actions and failed to mention all the horrors she endured with no aid or rescue. Now, with adult eyes I see so much more to her story. It’s definitely worth the time to read up about this woman!

🐾 BQ is a moving and darkly humorous tale of women’s empowerment and the importance of women coming together rather than tearing each other down. Shroff’s wit keeps the narrative from veering into preachy territory. I highly recommend it!