Seven is an intimate, gutsy feminist novel that exposes the lasting, individual impacts of making women’s bodies fodder for displays of religious obeisance. Sharifa and Murtuza’s marriage has settled back into comfortable routines following her emotional affair years prior. Still, Sharifa wrestles with internal uncertainties and biting dissatisfaction. A year-long trip to India provides distractions, as well as an opportunity for her seven-year-old daughter, Zee, to immerse herself in her native culture. Sharifa’s arrival coincides with increasing activism against the practice of khatna, a form of female genital mutilation practiced by some Dawoodi Bohras. Sharifa always believed that she had escaped the knife. Surely she would remember? But her cousins definitely remember. One of them, Fatema, is one of the leading activists against khatna. Against her will, Sharifa gets drawn into the fight against khatna—which means uncovering family history that she didn’t want to dig up. It’s pretty ironic considering that she meant to dig up even deeper family history.
Each character feels unique and genuine. Each one grapples with their own conflicts of identity, culture, tradition, and imperfection, including the ones we meet in flashbacks to Sharifa’s ancestors living in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
It was incredible. I can’t praise this book highly enough.

"... while the men might have made the rules, it is the women, women I've loved, who've enforced them."

Since finishing Seven last night I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this line and the way the book ended. Doctor has written a powerhouse novel about the Dawoodi-Bohra community, a community that I was previously was not familiar with. The way the characters were portrayed and especially the way that Khatna (female genital mutilation) was discussed will resonate with the reader long after the last page has been read.

When I realized why the book was titled Seven I was left with such horror!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Publishers for providing me with a copy in lieu of an honest review.

Sharifa is an Indian American. Like many immigrants, Sharifa and her family have mixed and matched traditional Dawoodi Bohra traditions with American ones. She and her husband met and married for love—but they chose each other from the small pool of Bohra Indians in New York. Their daughter is taught at a secular school, but is still taught about the Bohra Muslim faith. As Seven, by Farzana Doctor, opens, Sharifa and her family are preparing to return to Mumbai for a year. Like so many others, ends up discovering herself on the great subcontinent while intending to do something else.

Before we follow Sharifa to India, we get a good look underneath the surface of her marriage to Murtuza. Four years earlier, Sharifa nearly cheated on her husband. They’ve patched things up, but there is still a bit of mistrust and hurt in their relationship. It doesn’t help that Sharifa is unable to orgasm when they have sex. Because Murtuza and Sharifa can’t completely connect—and because Sharifa doesn’t understand why she can never reach completion—there’s a massive elephant in the room that keeps them from fully repairing their relationship. When Sharifa and co. arrive in Mumbai and she begins her family history project (researching the actual history behind a nineteenth century ancestor who has become legend), she learns what the elephant really is.

Sharifa’s arrival coincides with increasing activism against the practice of khatna, a form of female genital mutilation practiced by some Dawoodi Bohras. Sharifa always believed that she had escaped the knife. Surely she would remember? But her cousins definitely remember. One of them, Fatema, is one of the leading activists against khatna. Against her will, Sharifa gets drawn into the fight against khatna—which means uncovering family history that she didn’t want to dig up. It’s pretty ironic considering that she meant to dig up even deeper family history.

Seven offers a deep dive not only into the Dawoodi Bohra, but into family betrayals and the complicated psychology of FGM survivors. The way Sharifa and her family talk, part of being Bohra is not questioning tradition and not bucking the status quo. They keep themselves to themselves. The problem with not questioning (and I love that Sharifa’s daughter constantly asks why when she sees new Bohra customs and none of the adults can answer the question) is that it means things fester until they erupt, with all kinds of messy psychological consequences.

Doctor relates all of this with sympathy and open-mindedness. The thing about Seven puzzles me is the fragmentary interstitial chapters that contain dates and snatches of sentences about Sharifa’s legendary ancestor. It’s entirely possible that the fragments were just an error in my advanced reader copy. I hope it was just a mistake, because the fragments were so small that I found them irritating more than intriguing. If it is a mistake, I’m sorry I missed out on seeing how life has changed or not changed for the Bohra in the hundred years between Sharifa’s life and the life of her great-great-great-grandfather. (I think I got the number of greats right.)

Seven is an important book. It deals with a traditional, yet very contemporary topic : Female Genital Mutilation. I'll shorten it to FGM throughout this review.

Sharifa goes to India to explore her heritage, and create a genealogy tree around Abdoolally (hoping I'm spelling it right, I'm horrible at this), as she gets curious about the various wives he had, that aren't really included in the family history. However, she ends up doing way more than this, and she uncovers the truth about the FGM's importance in India, and Indian culture.

FGM is not a topic I'm familiar with, and I discovered a lot about it in this book. It educated me more than a non-fiction book could have, as the characters involved in all this are very likeable, and talk about it with their emotions instead of complicated words. I especially liked to see how the author was not patronizing or vindicative while writing about FGM. We don't only get angry people saying FGM is BS etc... We also have more moderate reactions, and more interestingly, we get to have an insight from other women in Sharifa's family, who are in favor of FGM, and understand a little why they think it's an ok tradition.

The author was very careful in her writing, and I thought she was brilliantly exposed a topic, that is probably close to her heart. She didn't overdo or underdo it. She found the right tone to bring attention to it, without trying to force the reader to have a strong opinion on it, even though of course the narration is a little oriented against FGM. That was brilliantly executed. Period.

Sharifa and her whole family were such realistic characters it was quite easy to connect with them. I loved that we had both Sharifa's POV regarding everything happening. She uncovered things about her childhood, dealing with her own trauma, all while doing everything in her power to protect her daughter from their family.

A special shoutout needs to be given to Sharifa's husband, Murtuza. He was so gentle and understanding with his wife while she dealt with her sexuality, her sexual and mental health, and everything else ! What a man ! He never pushes Sharifa too far, listens to her, and tries to help her in any way he can, while also giving her the space she needs. We stan !

Honestly, there is only one aspect of the story I didn't like : The Abdoolally POVs and his story. I know his story is partially the reason Sharifa goes to India, but I just couldn't care for him, or his wives, or anything. I felt these parts could have completely left out. Actually, Abdoolally could not exist, and it wouldn't change much. The rest is pure gold, maturity (but in a good way), and well-done education about a topic often left in the dark.

I think the story was good but definitely a bit hard to read about at some points. These points are important topics nonetheless. I thought the storyline was good and the characters were well rounded and I overall did enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this one. Despite it feeling a little disjointed at times, I enjoyed the plot and I really enjoyed Sharifa's research and that part of the plot. I thought that the characters were well rounded. Overall, a solid four star book for me and one I will recommend.

This book is everything. It is an absolutely incredible read. What starts as a story of a woman researching the patriarch of her family turns into an impassioned call to ban khatna, female genital mutilation, within the authors Dawoodi Bohra community in India and the world beyond. This book is a sweeping family story, one of beauty and pain, that is both heart-warming and heart-breaking. Farzana Doctor's writing is incredible, she has an ease with words that draws the reader in and enlightens them to an important issue with sensitivity. It seems odd to say you love a book about such a difficult topic but that is the case with this book.

I enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book and liked getting a “day in the life” feel from it, but ultimately the plot line fell a little flat for me.

I knew this was going to be a harrowing book just based off of the topic of khatna, the tradition of female genital cutting in India. But I didn’t expect the story to go into such depth about the mental and family consequences as well, and those turned out to be my favorite parts.

The book follows Sharifa, who heads to India for two reasons: to research her philanthropist and business leader great-great-grandfather, and to save her marriage. In India, however, the topic of khatna has come to the forefront, and it pits traditional religious groups against protestors in the name of human rights. Sharifa’s own family is split on the issue, and as the issue inches closer to home, it is no longer possible for Sharifa to ignore the debate, and she discovers an uncomfortable truth as she looks further and further into her own and her family past.

The plot was interesting, for sure, but I was more interested in one side than the other. Sharifa’s research into her great-great-grandfather Abdoolally was more engaging when it began tying more into Sharifa’s research into khatna, but prior to that, I felt very disconnected from the passages about him. It was the characters as well — I’ve always had an issue with large casts and I often forgot who was who.

I cared less for the characters as individuals and more for the relationships between them. The most beautiful one was Sharifa and Zee; the type of mother-daughter dynamic they had made me nostalgic, and yet Sharifa’s terror and fear of letting Zee outside of her sight for fear she’d be taken to do a khatna procedure was palpable. The relationship between Sharifa and Murtaza was intriguing as well; the book started off describing what felt like a dead-end marriage, but the way their sexual lives ended up tying into khatna was written beautiful. Even so, I have to admit that something about Murtaza never sat right with me. And lastly, the relationship between Sharifa and Maasi — most of the development took place inside our main character’s head, but the way it played out was heart-wrenching; I felt every single ounce of betrayal Sharifa did.

The writing style was good, and in terms of pacing I would have liked a little less time on Abdoolally and a little more on Sharifa’s self-discovery and the family repercussions of their anti-khatna activism. I did like the epilogue though — it definitely sent chills down my spine and for such a heavy book, it was extremely hopeful. Ultimately, I would definitely still recommend this book to readers of historical/cultural genres, and honestly anyone who’s interested in learning about human rights around the world.

An intergenerational story. Ultimatly, this novel is good, but not great. Lots of potential here, but the storytelling is a bit convoluted. I think perhaps the researched true story of her own family might have gotten in the way of the imagined tale.

Farzana Doctor's Seven follows Sharifa, an American-born member of the Dawoodi Bohra religious sect, through a journey of self-discovery as she comes to terms with issues related to religion, family, tradition, and sexuality. This incredible story has a lot to offer, and I really struggle to come up with a single criticism.

Sharifa and her family, including husband Murtuza and seven year old daughter Zee, travel to their ancestral home of India - Murtuza to teach at a university, and Sharifa to document a family history centered around a great-great grandfather famous for his business acumen and contributions to charity. There, Sharifa reconnects with two cousins who were once as close as sisters, and finds the group deeply divided about the issue of khatna, or female genital mutilation, which is still practiced in the religious community.

I found it really hard to put this book down for several reasons. Learning about the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim culture of the modern day as well as the past was fascinating, and after finishing the book I spent some time researching to learn more. I also found the characters to be expertly written, each one having strengths and flaws that made them seem very real. Additionally, this was the first time in any sort of 'media' in my 27 years where I didn't find the sex scenes to be awkward, unnatural, or unnecessary. I felt that they helped to better understand what the characters were going through and added to the story's progression.

Overall, I found this book to be an important read to broaden what it means to be a feminist and global citizen, and I would 100% read anything else by this author.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of Seven from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt disjointed. In the advanced reader copy I received, several chapters were missing. I believe these chapters were supposed to be a different story line. Still the story line I read was confusing and seemed to jump around, making me wonder if there were errors throughout. I appreciated reading about a new culture and thought that the pull between a more modern mindset and a traditional one was interesting.

This book was so good! The characters were so well rounded, you felt like you actually knew them! The plot was so good you didn't want the book to end!

"... while the men might have made the rules, it is the women, women I've loved, who've enforced them."

When I read the synopsis of the book, I was a bit hesitant about reading the book as I felt it might be a very heavy read but as I made my way through Sharifa's life, I couldn't get myself to put the book down!

Sharifa is a school teacher in Manhattan who lives with her husband - Murtuza and her 7 year old daughter - Zeenat. While life for her is passing by fairly well she seems to be bored of her job and possibly even her marriage. The family decides to move to Mumbai for eight months where Murtuza has a teaching gig and Sharifa takes this opportunity to research about her great great-grandfather Abdoolally.

The story is a whirlwind after they reach Mumbai and one of Sharifa's cousins - Fatema starts talking to her about khatna - Female Genital Mutilation, i.e. removal of the prepuce tissue off the clitoris also called "haraam ki boti" - which is practiced in India, mostly by the Dawoodi Bohra community which Sharifa and her family are a part of.

The story takes a complex route from here as Sharifa goes on to learn about multiple family secrets and how she and her favorite cousins decide to fight against this practice. It depicts the struggle of the women of this community from generations. This book while talking about khatna with urgency flows smoothly to educate and spread awareness.

The book is quite predictable to me on various occasions but this predictability helps me to realize the sad and horrid truth of human behavior when it comes kinship and community. But on finding out the reason for naming the book Seven, it left me terrified!

Seven is an inspiring, igniting and borderline soul-crushing story about many Dawoodi Bohra women who have had to go through the horrid practice of khatna. It is a story of love for family, self discovery and sadly betrayal.

I will be honest in telling you that I was not aware of this practice until I read this book. As an Indian woman, I know of many ill practices against women in the country, I also know of multiple laws which have helped curb these practices but Khatna is one practice I was oblivious to. This is a terrific book for which I only have praises on how it has subtly addressed this issue.

I would highly recommend you all to read Seven. I feel more educated and informed as a reader and as a feminist. I rate this book 5 out of 5 bookmarks.

I am also adding this link for you to gain more info on khatna and to learn about how you can play a part in khatna khatma!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Publishers for providing me with a copy in lieu of an honest review. I'd also like to congratulate the author Farzana Doctor for taking up this initiative and writing such a sensitive yet soulful book!

I received an ARC ebook which I believe had some chapter's missing which talked about the story of Abdoolally - Sharifa's great great-grandfather or maybe they were intentionally removed from the ARC, hence this review is solely based on Sharifa's narrative.

Sharifa, a teacher by profession takes a hiatus from work and accompanies her husband, Murtuza, a professor, on a work trip of eight months to Mumbai, India along with their seven year old daughter.

They belong to the Dawoodi-Bohra community which is a lesser know sub-sect of the Shias.

While on her vacation Sharifa is intrigued by the life and times of her great-great-grandfather who was known Patriarch and she sets on about uncovering his past and rediscovering her own roots in the process.

The Bohras, as a fact practice the ritual of “Khatna” or female circumcision or as should aptly be known Female Genital Mutilation.
Sharifa while on her journey to study the past comes across unexpected demons in her present.

Though she is initially indifferent to the whole process when confronted by two of her cousins on the opposite ends of the spectrum she is forced to make a decision.

This is the first book I’ve read about the tight knit Bohra community and it was very interesting and enlightening to say the least.
Growing up I did have a few Bohri acquaintances but zero idea of what went on in their lives.

I enjoyed reading this book and the author’s writing.

Though the plot is a very sensitive one and I’m quite sure she will face community backlash for it, her writing has a sort of lightness to it.

The characters portrayed, the situations described are all the sort that will resonate with the reader for a while after the last page has been read.

Their are certain sexual descriptions but as the author herself states “Sexuality is a porthole into understanding khatna, and that’s why I wanted to explore Shari’s and Murti’s sex life.”
The book doesn’t feel lewd and again it’s the author’s talent.

Recommend reading.
It will be out in August 2020.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

P.S. I suppose the present story moves parallel with the past but my copy was missing the past chapters, unless that was intentional.

This was a beautifully written novel tackling some big issues in society and it was well done. The characters and their stories will stay with you. It was a compelling and captivating read.