I LOVED this so much.

It was absolutely insane & unlike anything I'd ever read, just wow. 

Things I really enjoyed about this book: 
☆ slight timelessness of this book - due to the rural poverty, they had limited technology and so this could have been set at any point in the last 5-40 years, which added more shock to the women's position & lack of social mobility. 

☆ Geeta and Saloni's friendship - especially the pain and isolation when childhood friends drift apart, and then the strength of the two of them together. 

☆ The setting - I've never read anything set in rural India before, so I learned a lot about the caste system, everyday life for women in this setting, how the different faiths co-inhabit a small village & Hindu religious festivals. You also learn a lot about the symbolism around women's jewellery...

☆ The relative freedom & happiness enjoyed by Geeta as a 'widow', compared to the lives of her married friends (hence why they want to be rid of their husbands) 

I can't belive this wasn't shortlisted for the women's prize, it definitely stood on a similar level to Demon Copperhead & was better than the Marriage Portrait, and it was such a powerful (and unique) story about women vs the patriarchy. 

I would love some recommendations for fiction set in India please! 

Trigger warnings: This does contain graphic violence & scenes of domestic abuse.