The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal (Review by Jennifer McCord)

Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of past GBC book Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, is back with a new novel, The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters! Sisters Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina are reeling from the recent death of their mother, but determined to fulfill her dying request: take a pilgrimage back to her homeland, India, visiting all the places she’d been to ill to go see one last time. Born and raised in England, the sisters gain a sense of appreciation for their heritage and for one another on their journey. Jaswal has a remarkable ability to imbue her novels with a lightheartedness and sense of humor while still grappling with serious issues. The three sisters in this novel must learn to overcome the emotional distance and secrets that have grown between them over the years. They also struggle with being treated as outsiders/tourists in India despite being there for deeply meaningful reasons for their Indian mother, as well as coming to grips with India as a relatively male-dominated society. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters reads like a feel-good book, but it quickly becomes clear that Jaswal has loaded the story with plenty of substance as well. If you loved Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, you’ll fall head over heels for the Shergill sisters. Jaswal demonstrated her talent with her last novel, and it’s clear that she’s only grown as a writer since then!