Bandit Queens

Longlisted for the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction

In rural India, an isolated woman falsely accused of killing her vanished husband becomes an unwilling consultant to other aspiring widows.

In rural India, Geeta is believed to have killed her vanished husband - but she hasn't wasted too much time trying to correct the record, because as a single woman her new reputation has been the one thing keeping her safe all these years. Still, she's paid a price. She's an outcast in her town, estranged from her childhood best friend, Saloni, and from the rest of the women in her microloan group. But that all changes when another member of the group approaches Geeta with a problem of her own. Farah's husband, Samir, is an abusive drunk and she's ready to be rid of him, so she asks Geeta for help, appealing to her expertise. Not wanting to reveal the truth, Geeta reluctantly agrees, but this one small murderous favour sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything - and not just for Geeta, but for Saloni, and Farah, and all the women in their village.

In darkly irreverent and fresh prose, this unforgettable feminist revenge thriller acknowledges the unfortunate status quo for women everywhere, and shows that female connections and friendships are what will carry us through the darkness and absurdity of life.