The Bandit Queens Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Phoolan Devi: The Real-Life "Bandit Queen" and our BookBrowse Review of The Bandit Queens.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. At the very beginning of the novel, we learn that Geeta feels ostracized and isolated by her village because of the rumors surrounding her husband's disappearance. What did you think of the "small-town" politics at play and how they affected Geeta's life in the five years before the novel opens? How do you think those same politics continued to affect Geeta and the other women over the course of the novel?
   
2. When Farah comes to Geeta and asks for her help in doing away with Samir the same way she supposedly rid herself of Ramesh, Geeta realizes that the reputation she's leaned on to help build her new life has now become a double-edged sword. What do you think you would have done if you were placed in Geeta's position?
   
3. One of the things that makes the strong female characters in The Bandit Queens so relatable is that they are flawed. For example—at first, Geeta is too proud to ask for help when Farah begins to blackmail her, and we see her eventually have to swallow that pride and go to Saloni for assistance. What other flaws made the characters feel more relatable as you were reading?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Ballantine Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.