Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows: Fifty Shades of Sari

I typically love Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club picks, and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was her selection for March. My past few books have been on the more serious side, so I thought this lighthearted book would be a good change-up before I dive back into my literary fiction picks and thrillers. That's exactly how I would describe Erotic Stories - a lighthearted and quick beach read.

Balli Kaur Jaswal tells the story of Nikki, an Indian woman in her early twenties living above the pub where she bartends in London. Nikki's family is desperate for her to start a career after she dropped out of law school. Her sister Mindy is seeking an arranged marriage and her widowed mother wishes Nikki would participate more in the Indian community and traditions. When Nikki goes to hang Mindy's marriage profile in the local temple, she spots an ad for a women's writing class seeking a teacher. Her interest is instantly piqued.

Nikki begins teaching the classes to widows but quickly learns this isn't a typical writing class. Most of the widows are illiterate and can't write at all. They begin practicing the alphabet until one evening Sheena, the only woman that can read, finds a romance novel in Nikki's bag and reads it to her classmates. The widows are so intrigued by the book that they begin making and sharing their own erotic stories. It doesn't take long for talk of the stories to get out to the rest of the conservative Punjabi community, and as popularity of the class grows among the widows the group must fight for their right to meet.

Jaswal writes an entertaining story, and it was a nice break from my typical heavy or suspenseful reads. I would save this book for a similar break from your usual reading schedule, or a vacation when you want a fun book to laugh with and not take too seriously. Jaswal works in a murder mystery as a sub-story to the writing classes, which makes the novel a little busy with less character development. Note that the title is fitting, and if reading sex scenes isn't your thing, this isn't a book for you. This is a great book for a night in with a glass of wine, giggling along with the widows as they delve into their secret fantasies and find a freedom they've never known.