Book Info
Name of Book : Now You See Us
Author : Balli Kaur Jaswal
Publisher : William Morrow
Publication Date : 7 March, 2023
No. of Pages : 316
Format : Netgalley ARC
Why did I choose the book ?
Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal was available on Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I have heard about the book so much on social media, that I requested it as soon as it was available for India.
Where to get the book ?
Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal is available on Amazon :
Author Introduction
Balli Kaur Jaswal is the author of four novels, including Singapore Literature Prize finalist "Sugarbread," and the international bestseller "Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows," which was a selection of Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine book club. Her debut novel "Inheritance" won the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian Novelist award. Jaswal's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan.com, Harper's Bazaar India and Salon.com, among other publications. Her latest novel "The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters" was released to critical acclaim in 2019, and is now available in paperback.
Blurb
Corazon, Donita, and Angel are Filipina domestic workers—part of the wave of women sent to Singapore to be cleaners, maids, and caregivers.
Corazon: A veteran domestic worker, Cora had retired back to the Philippines for good, but she has returned to Singapore under mysterious circumstances. Now she’s keeping a secret from her wealthy employer, who is planning an extravagant wedding for her socialite daughter.
Donita: Barely out of her teens, this is Donita’s first time in Singapore, and she’s had the bad luck to be hired by the notoriously fussy Mrs. Fann. Brazen and exuberant, Donita’s thrown herself into a love affair with an Indian migrant worker.
Angel: Working as an in-home caregiver for an elderly employer, Angel is feeling blue after a recent breakup with the woman she loves. She’s alarmed when her employer’s son suddenly brings in a new nurse who may be a valuable ally...or meant to replace her.
Then an explosive news story shatters Singapore’s famous tranquility—and sends a chill down the spine of every domestic worker. Flordeliza Martinez, a Filipina maid, has been arrested for murdering her female employer. The three women don’t know the accused well, but she could be any of them; every worker knows stories of women who were scapegoated or even executed for crimes they didn’t commit.
Shocked into action, Donita, Corazon, and Angel will use their considerable moxie and insight to piece together the mystery of what really happened on the day Flordeliza’s employer was murdered. After all, no one knows the secrets of Singapore’s families like the women who work in their homes…ered. After all, no one knows the secrets of Singapore’s elite like the women who work in their homes…
My Opinion
A Well Crafted Women's Fiction
Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal is a well crafted women's fiction, taking a dig at the issues faced by the immigrant workers. Reading the book was an overwhelming experience for me. The author has significantly outlined the pain and harassment faced by the immigrant workers. Apart from that, there is a mystery and thrill which enriches the plot with its brilliance. If you are looking for a book with strong women characters, then the book serves just right. Its women characters try to break all the stereotypes and their persona grows over the story. It is not that they are perfect, but, they have flaws and due to that fact they look very real. I felt that the characters are just the one who we encounter in our daily life all the time. And, the most enjoyable thing about the book is that it throws a light on our societal norms, how we have lost empathy and respect for people and How people are divide by borders and presumptions about cultures.
Definitely, a 5 star book. Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow Publishers for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book.
Ratings
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