'Lucky Girls' by Nell Freudenberger is a collection of five deeply evocative stories set against the backdrop of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Through the voices of young expatriate women, Freudenberger explores the nuances of adult love and the intricate connection between the characters' emotional journeys and the exotic lands in which they find themselves. From a prolonged affair with a married Indian man to the haunting absence of a mother who chased wild dreams over the Khyber Pass, each tale delves into the vulnerabilities of life in unfamiliar territories. With a storyteller's grace and intellectual clarity, these narrated experiences reveal how longing and belonging shape one's identity, particularly in contexts that are at once romanticized and alienating.