A review by readingvoyage
The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When a Punjabi-born woman is on her deathbed, she asks her three British daughters to make a pilgrimage to India to scatter her ashes. 
 
The sisters do not get along and have plenty of secrets. Their bickering seemed realistic (and I’m now grateful how well I get along with mine). As the story progresses they open up to each other and mend their relationships. While I understood each daughter, I can’t say that I liked them very much. By the end of the story, I didn’t like the mother either. 
 
Throughout the book, there are hints of the secrets, and this was very effective at keeping me interested and vested in the novel. At times, I wondered why certain scenes were written in so much detail, but it all became apparent in the end. 
 
I have travelled extensively though India, and have even visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar (although things have changed a lot as we were the only non-Sikh foreigners visiting that day). However, there were plenty of things I could relate to: Tom Hanks the driver, the menu which doesn’t have half the offerings, and the description of the river at the end). 
 
The audiobook narration is absolutely fantastic. I think it was a better experience than if I had read the book. 
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