Two novels take a closer look at class and gender in Indian society

Today's episode features two books that examine wealth – or lack thereof – and gender in India. First, Deepti Kapoor chats with NPR's Scott Simon about her novel, Age of Vice, and the way it portrays indulgence in New Delhi society through a protagonist who is an "oppressed everyman." Then, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly asks Parini Shroff about The Bandit Queens, which follows a jewelry maker who refuses to set the record straight on the village rumor that she murdered her husband – and finds unexpected laughs in her dark quest to help other women get rid of their partners, too.

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