Nine Paths

Nine Paths is a lyrical, immersive non-fiction book that chronicles the stories of nine Muslim women on the margins of modern India. Authored by the anthropologist and ethnographer Dr Lexi Stadlen, this extraordinary work invites readers to delve deeply into the everyday lives of these ordinary women.

Set on an island at the eastern edge of India, this rural and remote village is dense with jungle and steeped in contradictions. The women navigate a shifting landscape of mangroves and rivers, living among constraints and changes where neighbours are often too close for comfort.

Nine Paths follows these women's lives and their families over the course of a year, from one monsoon season to another. Through the book, readers witness celebrations of weddings and the mourning of deaths, the complexities of difficult marriages, and the trials of overcoming tragedies. It captures the everyday drudgery and unexpected turmoil alongside the dreams of something better.

Anthropologist Lexi Stadlen spent sixteen months in this Muslim village, talking, listening, and getting to know these women, who were willing to share their complicated, fascinating lives. Their stories are urgent and forcefully articulated—Nine Paths provides us with a chance to hear them.