The Widows of Malabar Hill

Content Warning: This section includes discussions of racism, addiction, abuse, and violence. 

Perveen is the heroine and protagonist of the novel, and the book is narrated through her third-person limited perspective. She is a beautiful young woman, 23 years old, and the beloved youngest child of Jamshedji and Camellia, who have urged her to pursue education from a young age. As the only female lawyer in Bombay, she is a trailblazer and hard worker. At age 23, Perveen is mature and conscious of her shortcomings. She thinks of her career as “a heavy responsibility” and does not want to disgrace Jamshedji Mistry (10). While she is determined and brave, she also listens to her family’s advice and tries hard to be respectful of her parents and their wishes, especially her father.

Much of Perveen’s growth as a character in the book comes from the flashbacks to when she was 19. After meeting Cyrus and falling in love, she breaks her parents’ and Parsi society’s rules of conduct: she is alone with him in public, she kisses him, and she promises to marry him. Her love for Cyrus is distressing to her parents; Camellia says, “You were always such a dear, agreeable daughter.