The Sex Lives of Married Women (Saman Shad, Penguin)

Meet Rani, Sophie and Meena – three Sydney women in their late 30s who are confronted with the realisation that their lives aren’t what they had hoped for. Saman Shad’s follow-up to The Matchmaker, The Sex Lives of Married Women alternates between the perspectives of its three protagonists as they attempt to reclaim identities beyond the labels of mother and wife – roles that, in varying ways, have come to define them. With uneven success, the novel ambitiously explores the diverse experiences of womanhood, examining the intersections of cultural background, geography, class and generational differences. Set primarily in the present day as the women meet and form a friendship, the narrative dips into each character’s past and how they met (or were introduced to) the men with whom they will form their family units, fleshing out the difference between who they were as younger women versus who they are now. Through this exploration of its characters, Shad highlights the contrasts between urban, suburban and regional Australia, the lives of first- and second-generation immigrant women from the West and South Asia, and the ways women can be restricted – from policing self-pleasure to the stigma around sex work and the broader purity culture upheld by patriarchal structures. Readers at a crossroads in life, those who enjoy stories about female friendship, and fans of Marian Keyes or novels about contemporary womanhood will find much to appreciate in The Sex Lives of Married Women.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Marina Sano (she/her) is a Japanese and Australian critic, editor, and bookseller. She co-founded Amplify Bookstore and is an advocate for more diverse and representative publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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