Pirate Patty Reviews

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.

A good story about female friendships. I laughed and I cried and was most indignant on Geeta’s behalf.

Talk about making lemonade when life gives you lemons! Poor Geeta’s husband disappeared five years ago. Soon tongues were wagging about what really happened to him. The main rumor being she had enough of his gambling and bad habits and killed him. And while this is not good, it works in Geeta’s favor. She isn’t the social type anyway and has no patience for gossip.

It’s actually good for business. She makes jewelry and sells it so no one wants to make an enemy of her. But then, women in the village begin to ask her for help with their own husbands.

Some beg and some ask nicely but some don’t. Geeta will need to figure out how far she will go to protect her image and her livelihood.

I thought I may have a hard time understanding the cultural differences in speech and meaning. I did not. This is a funny, sad and beautiful story of women and their differences and even more what they have in common.

NetGalley/January 17th, 2023 by Ballantine Books