Were you familiar with India’s caste system before reading The Bandit Queens? In which ways did the pervasive societal structure appear within the novel? Are you familiar with any other caste systems across the globe? How are they like-and how do they differ from-India’s caste system?Ĥ. It is a complex social structure wherein social roles like one’s profession and status became “hereditary,” resulting in fixed hierarchies. The caste system has existed in some form in India for at least 3,000 years. Discuss the ways in which the setting functions as a character in the novel and how each of the other characters relates to it.ģ. India and the village Geeta lives in are intrinsic to the narrative. Discuss the title, “The Bandit Queens.” How do you think it relates to the overall story? How does it apply to each of the characters in the book?Ģ. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village.įilled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won’t soon forget.ġ. With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built-but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. It’s even been good for business no one dares to not buy her jewelry.įreedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her“expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It turns out that being known as a “self-made” widow comes with some perks. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. As in, she actually lost him-he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. The Bandit Queens is tender, unpredictable, and brimming with laugh-out-loud moments.”-Téa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wifeįive years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. “Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship with acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence.

A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful-until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands-in this razor-sharp debut.

The bandit queens a novel