water by bapsi sidhwa discussed the marginalized status of women in indian society?

I only saw the movie but I suspect the themes and general story is the same as the book. Yes, the narrative does deal with marginalized women. It is set in 1938 and explores the lives of widows at an ashram in Varanasi, India. These women were married to old men when they were girls. After the men die, they are sent to this ashram to become "ghosts" in society.