Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

Written by: Balli Kaur Jaswal

First line: Why did Mindi want an arranged marriage?

Why you should read this book: Nikki has always been the black sheep of her Punjabi Sikh family, but now that her sister wants to pursue this insane arranged-marriage scheme, Nikki only wants to show the world that she's a modern British girl. Still, in an effort to show her family that she is accomplishing important things in life, and in the community, she takes a job through the temple where she believes she will be teaching women about creative writing, until she realizes that most of her students are illiterate and don't speak English. Somehow, her class turns into a subversive gathering for sex-starved widows to exchange sexual fantasies, which they transcribe into Gurmukhi and pass around to their friends, creating a scandal in a community racked by scandals, but now it's out of Nikki's hands, and this one isn't going to get swept under the rug.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I found the beginning, which did a great job of showcasing all the characters' flaws, particularly an overwhelmingly judgemental mindset for the protagonist even as she condemned this characteristic in others, a little uncomfortable to read.