The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters is a contemporary novel (not a romance) about three sisters who honor their mother’s last wish by going on a pilgrimage to India. At first I found the book to be too slow paced, but once I got into the flow of the story I enjoyed this book for its characters, its perspectives on culture, and its examination of family in general and sisterhood in particular.

The prologue is from the point of view of Sita, who is dying of cancer. Sita, a widow in London, is a Punjabi immigrant from India and the mother of three adult daughters. Rajni, the oldest, is ten years older than Jazmeen and Shirina. Rajni helped raise her siblings after their father died, and she’s strict and controlling. Jazmeen is struggling as an actress and is the most rebellious sibling. Shirina married into an extremely traditional Indian family and lives in Australia. Sita’s dying wish is for her daughters to make a trip to India in hopes that the siblings will become closer.

Most of the story takes place in India with parts of the sisters’ lives described in flashbacks. There are a lot of mysteries and I have to admit that I tended to peek ahead to finds the answers (yes, I know, I’m going to Hell, but I regret NOTHING). Questions include:

1. Why is the normally uptight Rajni even more uptight, and clearly triggered, when they are in India?
2. Why has Jazmeen’s career suffered a major setback and what will she do about it?
3. What did Shirinia’s husband mean when he said, “You can’t come back unless you do this?”

Some of these questions are answered early and others late, but they are all answered eventually. The book talks a lot about the roles of mothers and mother-in-laws from the points of view of moms, mothers and mothers-in-law to be, and daughters and daughters-in-law. The story addresses the process of honoring the positive aspects of one’s culture, but also addresses how that culture can enable abuse. TW/CW for depictions of or discussion about abuse, sexual harassment, and femicide. While none of the characters has been raped, they address the issue as a source of fear. The book also examines assisted suicide and religion.

On a lighter note, there’s a lot of food in the story, some fashion, and some amazing scenery. I liked the perspective the siblings brought to the book, as people who are intimately familiar with Indian culture but have never actually been there (with the exception of Rajni, who visited relatives in India with Sita shortly after her dad died). It’s an unusual vantage point to explore. In flashbacks, we hear more from Sita and her relatives, so there’s also narration from people raised in India.

One thing I liked about this book was the way it demonstrated that because Rajni was so much older than Jazmeen and Shirina, she had a very different childhood. She’s the only sister with clear memories of their parents prior to their father’s death. She grew up desperate to assimilate, whereas by the time her younger sisters were teens they were more comfortable with having an Indian background. Because Jezmeen was born ten years after Rajni, and Shirina right after that, they are essentially different generations of immigrants, and were raised by different parents (Rajni by her mother and father, and the others by a much more anxious and depressed mother and Rajni).

It also felt realistic to me that the sisters would fight bitterly among themselves but unite in the face of outside threats. I’m an only child and so sibling dynamics are fascinating. I’ve seen the unification in response to an outside threat to a sibling many times among my aunties. The combination of long-held resentments, squabbles ranging from mild to serious, inside jokes, and ferocious protectiveness rang true.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. The scenery alone made the experience fun to read. But the twists and turns were predictable and some situations were left unresolved or unexplored. Most glaringly, I worried about Rajni’s marriage, which went completely unexamined despite hints of trouble. Even though some of the issues are heavy, they are often talked about in a pretty superficial manner. In the end, the many issues between the sisters are resolved and they strengthen their ties to each other. They remain imperfect but connected. The exploration of these imperfect yet unbreakable bonds made the story relatable and lovable despite its flaws.