Shortlised in the fiction category for the 202 6 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing

Finalist for the 2026 Dayton Literary Peace Prize in Fiction

Finalist for the 2026 Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize

Finalist for the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize

Outside Women is a powerful and beautifully braided novel of personal and political history. Choudhry traverses continents and centuries with conviction and subtlety in this striking debut.

--Peter Ho Davies, author of The Fortunes and The Welsh Girl

Combining the reach of a historical saga with the propulsion of a mystery, Roohi Choudhry's tightly woven debut illustrates the power of sisterhood, legacy, and solidarity through the unforgettable stories of two defiant women living a century apart.

--Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers and Memory Piece

In her lyrical and luminous debut novel, Outside Women, Roohi Choudhry conjures a visceral yet dreamlike atmosphere. From South Africa to New York to Pakistan, this novel pulsates with the strength of its women, a narrative caught between centuries and oceans, obsessions, and an undying pursuit of justice.

--Kali Fajardo-Anstine, bestselling author of Woman of Light and Sabrina & Corina

Outside Women takes you back and forth through time, examining the true cost, weight, and meaning of bearing witness. It is also beautifully written. This is one you'll be thinking about for a long while.

--Rion Amilcar Scott, author of The World Doesn't Require You: Stories

Roohi Choudhry has written such a powerful debut novel that I found myself holding my breath through the tenderness and tension of these pages. For those of us from what the West deems 'the third world, ' masterpieces like this one are so precious. But the complexity, nuance, depth, texture, and artistry puts it in a league of its own. Choudhry is not afraid to get into every layer of these migrant female identities, but she does it with such sensitivity and diligence one forgets this book isn't real. No matter the continent or even the century, Outside Women's many universes defy expectation and establish Choudhry as one of our greatest new voices.

--Porochista Khakpour, author of Tehrangeles and Brown Album: Essays on Exile and Identity

Choudhry debuts with a riveting dual narrative of two South Asian women faced with similar moral dilemmas a century apart. . . . As the two women seek the courage to speak up, the novel keenly portrays the power of female solidarity. The result is an incisive story of how change happens.

-- "Publishers Weekly"

Outside Women is a gripping historical novel that contrasts the abuses of patriarchy and misogyny with the power of women to stand for freedom, truth, and justice. Notable for its emotional depth, lively pace, and smooth transitions as it moves across time and continents, this complex, nuanced story rises above its graphic descriptions of torture inflicted on those who dare to defy conventions to celebrate the strength of women and the warmth of human friendship and loyalty.

-- "Foreword Reviews"

Highlighted in Ms. Magazine's "The Most Anticipated Feminist Book in 2025"

There is much to applaud in this novel, with its attention to detail and its exploration of little-known aspects of women's history.

-- "Historical Novel Society"

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Pub date: 2025-03-25

Length: 280 pages