The British-born Punjabi sisters were never really that close and this was evident from their younger years, and now as adults they are even further apart. Ranji, a school principal and is a stickler for order and reasons. Jezmeen a 30 year old actress who is struggling in her field and fears that her big break may never happen. And finally Shirina, the youngest, is the peacemaking sister who has married into wealth and enjoys a picture perfect life with her husband in Australia.
On the girls mothers deathbed, their mother voices one last wish and this is that her daughter will make a pilgrimage together to the Golden Temple in Amrister to carry out her last wishes and rites. After a trip to India with her mother 20 years ago, Rajni has vowed never to return to India. However she has always been the dutiful daughter and cannot, even now, refuse her dying mother's wishes. Jazmeem has been very publicly fired from her television job and see the trip to India as a welcome break to help her pick up the pieces of her broken career. Shirina's in-laws are pushing her to make some very pivotal decisions about her married life and is hoping that some time away from them will help her to decide if she is going to obey or bravely stand up for herself for the first time.
Arriving in India, the three sisters will make some unexpected discoveries about themselves, their siblings and their choices in life. Jazmeen and Shirina will learn the real story behind the trip which Rajni took with their mother all those years ago and the momentous journey which they are on which has all resulted from the pilgrimage that their mother didn't return to India to make.
I didn't know how i felt about this book when i read the synopsis and this is what surprised me about the way i was pulled into the story. I found that at times that some of the interactions between the sisters were forced then i remember their background about them not being close. One of the things i absolutely loved about the writing style was that you had the relevant except of the mother letter at the beginning of each chapter and this helped to build the scene for what was handled in that scene.
This novel also gave me an insight into the life of women in India which i had no idea of how restricted their lives are and the restriction that they have to adhere to. It gave me an insight into some of the traditions and segregation that is still going on. However this has also made me want to visit the country and explore the places which have been describe in the book. I would recommend this true to life story to people who like to learn about different cultures .
For your copy, please follow the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlikely-Adventures-Shergill-Sisters
