Bandit Queens

Description

The Bandit Queens is a darkly comic and fiercely feminist debut set in a rural Indian village, where Geeta, falsely believed to have killed her missing husband five years ago, discovers that her “widow’s license” offers unexpected power and freedom.

When other abused women in her microloan group seek her counsel—hoping to emulate Geeta and rid themselves of violent husbands—she reluctantly steps into a conspiratorial, vigilante role. What starts as whispered rumors escalates into suspenseful criminal schemes, forging bonds of sisterhood and solidarity amid caste prejudice and domestic abuse.

A brilliantly balanced blend of humor, grit, suspense, and heart, the novel channels the legend of real-life bandit-heroine Phoolan Devi as inspiration, making it at once big-hearted and subversive