This novel is about three British-born sisters—Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina—who do not get along very well, especially now that they are adults. The sisters embark on a pilgrimage to India in order to fulfil their mother's dying wishes, and to lay her to rest.
Rajni is a school principal. She is serious in nature and is always trying to maintain some form of control, especially over her teenage son. Jezmeen is a struggling actress, who at thirty, fears she'll never make it. Shirina is the peacemaker in the family. She is the good girl who has married into a traditional, yet very wealthy, family.
When Rajni was a child, she visited India with her mother, Sita, and vowed never to go back. But being a dutiful daughter, she must cary out her mother's last wish. For Jazmeen, the timing is perfect. She has just been publicly fired from her job in television. The timing also seems to agree with Shirina, who is having trouble at home with her overbearing in-laws. They are pushing her to make a decision that will have a lasting impact on her married life—she needs to decide whether to obey as expected, or for once, stand up for herself.
Travelling to India brings the sisters together and it is also a voyage of self-discovery. The girls learn more about their mother, as well as what really happened on the trip that she and Rajni took and why Sita could never return to India.
After reading the hilarious and heart-warming Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, I was sincerely thrilled to be selected to review The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters. What I enjoyed (again) about Jaswal's writing is the humour that is sprinkled throughout—there are a lot of wonderful comedic bits to this story that balance out the more weightier parts that surface over the course of the narrative.
This book is a female take on the Indian travel narrative. Women have to be more aware and alert when travelling, especially in a male-dominated society. Balli does women a great service by writing about some of these challenges and considerations. These dangers also contributed to the palpable tension that is present throughout the story; there is tension between the sisters because of their shared history, as well as the tension between tradition and modernity. The Shergill girls are the first generation in their family to be raised outside of India. They struggle with straddling both worlds, especially returning to a country that is tied to their past—they can identify with the culture, however, they don't fully belong there. In The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, this plays out in moments of confusion, humour, misunderstanding, and conflict.
Jaswal's writing is powerful, yet thoughtful, and of course, charming. What amazes me how she can shine a spotlight on issues that Indian women face, but is so graceful and engaging, striking the perfect tone. Another gem!
BALLI KAUR JASWAL has written four novels to date, as well as short fiction and non-fiction. Her third novel, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was a Reese Witherspoon’s book club and The Girly Book Club selection in 2018. The book has also been optioned for film.
She was born in Singapore and has lived all around the world, including Australia, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Turkey, the US and the UK, where she was a writer in residence at UEA.
She now lives in Singapore.
No comments:
Post a Comment