Nikki, a young, first-generation British Sikh, gets a job at a local
Sikh temple. She thinks she will be teaching
creative writing to women but soon learns that the majority of her students are
illiterate widows; they express an interest in oral storytelling, especially
stories about desire: “’we have plenty
of experience with desire’” and “’We talk about it all the time.’” The women say they want to “’discuss the
things we miss’” or “’what we were never given in the first place.’” Nikki acquiesces, though there are concerns
that there could be trouble if information about the classes comes to the attention
of the self-appointed morality brotherhood.
There is a mystery and romance as well.
Maya, the daughter of Kulwinder (the woman who hires Nikki), died under
strange circumstances and Kulwinder suspects foul play. Since Maya’s name is often mentioned by the
women in the class, Nikki becomes interested and starts asking questions. And Nikki, while arguing with her sister
about her desire for an arranged marriage, starts a relationship with a man she
meets at the temple.
The focus is on women who are invisible in their community. The widows, because they have no husbands are
considered “irrelevant” and so dismissed or treated with disdain. Even Nikki at first seems to think of them
only as gossipy grannies. Their culture
tells them that women are expected to be sexually available to their husbands
but they are not supposed to enjoy sex. One
of the women tells Nikki, “’You must think it’s wrong of us to discuss these
things because we shouldn’t be thinking of them.’” When one woman reads one of the erotic
stories, she feels ashamed: “Why was she
ashamed? Because she was supposed to be;
because women, especially at her age, did not ask for these sorts of pleasures.” Though the book is about women in the Sikh
culture, it is an almost universal truth that elderly women are invisible and
are certainly not considered sexual beings.
I enjoyed that Nikki proves to be a dynamic character. Initially, the focus is on the differences
between Nikki and her students. She is
only 22 years of age and the widows, though not all are elderly, are older than
she. Nikki is educated, unlike her
students, most of whom are illiterate. Nikki
is modern and lives independently whereas the widows are traditional and have lived
fairly sheltered lives. She comes to
understand, however, that they, like she, have dreams of physical and emotional
fulfillment. Gradually, she comes to
respect the women.
The book shows the empowering effect of storytelling. The widows join the writing group to fill in
time, but as they begin expressing themselves, they learn they are not alone
and so gain confidence. One of the women
says, “’These storytelling sessions are good fun but I think I’ve also learned
to speak up for what I want.’” Nikki
realizes, “’Those meetings gave those women a strong sense of acceptance and
support. For the first time in their
lives they could openly share their most private thoughts and know that they
weren’t alone.’”
There are many touches of humour.
The women hilariously argue the appropriateness of various vegetables to
describe men’s penises. One woman
discusses the value of ghee, clarified butter, as a lubricant: she learned “’to sneak some ghee into a small
container during cooking without my mother-in-law noticing. Otherwise it was challenging to get big drums
of ghee into the bedroom without the rest of the family seeing.’”
Despite the humour, the book does touch on serious issues: the clash between modern and traditional
cultural values, domestic abuse, honour killings, and attitudes towards older women. There is a rather feel-good ending that will
appeal to many readers. Of course,
readers should be warned that there are passages of erotica which might make
some people uncomfortable. I enjoyed the
book; it provides a perspective on an unfamiliar culture while exploring ubiquitous
attitudes towards women, especially older women.
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