The Southall, London, Sikh community gets a sexual awakening when an adult literacy course becomes an adult literature workshop in Balli Kaur Jaswal's U.S. debut, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.
Modern but struggling Nikki begrudgingly agrees to post her traditional sister's profile on their Sikh temple marriage board. While there, she takes a job teaching what she thinks is a creative writing class for women. The course is the brainchild of Kulwinder Kaur, the temple's new community development director, but it quickly becomes apparent that Nikki and Kulwinder have conflicting notions of what these classes are for. The students, primarily widows, are illiterate. Nevertheless, they are a sharp, lively bunch who begin an eye-opening new oral tradition after discovering a collection of erotica in Nikki's bag. But religious communities are often known more for their rumor mills than their sexual openness; some young women have even turned up dead for not conforming to traditions of honor.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is a brilliant novel about finding one's voice. "These storytelling sessions are good fun," one student says, "but I think I've also learned to speak up for what I want. Exactly what I want." It is a treat, sure to leave readers breathless. --Dave Wheeler, associate editor, Shelf Awareness