# The Bandit Queens

By Parini Shroff

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-bandit-queens-bd60259f/

Geeta didn’t kill her husband. He walked out, and she has found that letting the village think otherwise keeps people from interfering in her life. Then other wives ask her to help arrange deaths of their own. Protecting her independence now means dealing with expectations she has no experience meeting.

## What makes it funny?

At a loan-group meeting, mothers list their children’s expenses and then dutifully praise motherhood. Geeta answers by pointing out how much she likes sleep and money. Her private wish that a lizard drop onto the group’s bully is less diplomatic. Readers in book groups single out the women’s banter and enjoy seeing Geeta succeed.

### The comedy at work

The supposed expert in killing husbands has acquired her credentials through gossip. Shroff uses that mistake for dark misunderstandings, while the women’s arguments expose how much anger and resentment they have to conceal in polite company.

### Try this if…

Readers drawn to revenge stories with sharp exchanges between women have plenty to work with here. Geeta’s growing independence matters as much as the murder schemes; readers particularly enjoy watching her succeed.

### Good to know

Domestic abuse and misogyny receive detailed treatment, and murder is central to the plot. Some readers struggled to get into the book or found unfamiliar words and pronunciations difficult.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary · Crime & thriller
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dark comedy · Satire
- Format: Novel
- Length: 384 pages
- Audiobook: 13 hr 14 min
- Published: 2023

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [The Bandit Queens (Unabridged) — Apple Books](https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/the-bandit-queens-a-novel-unabridged/id1620102873)
- Publisher: [The Bandit Queens — Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706934/the-bandit-queens-by-parini-shroff)
- Publisher: [Publisher and opening excerpt](https://penguinrandomhousehighereducation.com/book?isbn=9780593498965)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/TwoGirlsMustReads/permalink/1947853022680513)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-593-49895-8)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706934/the-bandit-queens-by-parini-shroff)