Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows: A Novel Summary
Balli Kaur Jaswal

Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows: A Novel Overview

Balli Kaur Jaswal's Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows recounts the tale of Nikki, a modern, first-generation Punjabi girl living in London, trying to find her purpose after leaving law school. Nikki seizes an opportunity to teach a creative writing class for women at the temple in Southall, London's neighborhood of Indian expatriates. In the classroom, Nikki meets a group of Punjabi widows who shatter all her preconceived notions about widowhood in Punjabi England. The widows transform the class into an erotica workshop, sharing their deepest secrets. Through their stories, the women begin to build their resilience and strength within an oppressive, patriarchal community that discourages women from asserting themselves and their sexuality. Together, Nikki and the widows uncover the truth about the mysterious death of a young woman in their community, under constant threat that Southall's morality police, the Brothers, will discover what they are up to. The women of Erotic Stories for Punjabi widows each reexamine their understandings of tradition, modernity, and family duties, and learn to make their own choices within a community that prizes tradition.