Read: August 14, 2018
Summary: Nikki, a modern Punjabi woman, lives in London, England above the local pub where she works. She is the child of Indian immigrants and prefers her Western way of living compared to the traditional values Nikki was taught during her childhood. Having dropped out of law schools and with working at the local pub, Nikki takes a job teaching a “creative writing” course at the community center in London’s close-knit Punjabi community.
Due to miscommunication, Nikki is expected to teach English literacy to the widows in the Punjabi community, not the art of short-story writing. One of the widows discovers a book of sexy stories in English and shares it with the class upon which Nikki realizes her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories. Nikki teaches the modest Punjabi women how to express their untold stories. Over the course of the weekly classes, the women gossip in their community and the short stories are shared among their friends which in turn sparks a scandal.
My Thoughts: This novel was a quick read and could easily have been a heavier read. It ended up being much lighter given the glimpses cultural elements of the Indian community. Although I liked reading the glimpses into the culture, I think it should focused on one or two pieces of the culture and developed it more – it would have been a more substantial storyline. I felt it vaguely touched upon everything which made this novel an average book. It would probably be something I’d recommend to people who need something lighter in between the heavier novels or even as a beach read.
