Book Blurb:
When Sharifa accompanies her husband on a marriage-saving trip to India, she thinks that she’s going to research her great-great-grandfather, a wealthy business leader and philanthropist. What captures her imagination is not his rags-to-riches story, but the mystery of his four wives, missing from the family lore. She ends up excavating much more than she had imagined. Sharifa’s trip coincides with a time of unrest within her insular and conservative religious community, and there is no escaping its politics. A group of feminists is speaking out against khatna, an age-old ritual they insist is female genital cutting. Sharifa’s two favourite cousins are on opposite sides of the debate and she seeks a middle ground. As the issue heats up, Sharifa discovers an unexpected truth and is forced to take a position.
My Review: 4.5 stars
Seven is a must read for women everywhere. The topic of female circumcision is not often at the center of a book, but Farzana Doctor puts it all out there with a well-crafted, informative and important novel.
The book had two storylines. I connected more to the current day narrative and felt the writing was beyond reproach. Was Murtu (the husband) a little too perfect? Maybe. Did it disrupt my enjoyment? Not at all. The author was able to put both point of views about the topic on the table as Shari’s two cousins were at odds about the practice. One felt it was about honoring her religion and tradition, while the other felt it was tragic and barbaric. It was interesting to learn about the Dawoodi-Bohra Muslim sect, many who live in America, that still practice this horrific act. Until I read this book, I thought this was only done in Africa.
The secondary storyline is about Shari’s mission to learn about Abdoolally, her great, great grandfather. He was a legendary patriarch as he had many wives, went from rags to riches and was extremely philanthropic. Shari wanted to know why the many marriages, how did he get rich, etc. Through interviews with distant relatives she was able to unleash his story. It was interesting and made a lot of puzzle pieces in her family tree come together, but for me, I still enjoyed the present storyline more.
This was an important read and left me educated on a topic I knew so little about. Just as foot binding was done for hundreds of years in China, women continued the tradition because that was what her family expected from them. This horrific practice of female genital mutilation has been done around the globe for centuries and sadly, it’s still being done in many places. Little girls have no idea what’s happening and the reasons behind it are senseless. It often leads to depression, PTSD, issues with sexual activity, inability to sleep and mental crisis.
The book also touches on family, mother/daughter relationships, feminism, marriage and much more. The book delivers the message that the power of religion and tradition can linger through centuries at the extreme cost to women.
Highly recommend!!
Note: There are some graphic sex scenes.
Quotes I liked:
… while the men might have made the rules, it is the women, women I’ve loved, who’ve enforced them.”
“We forget, we move on. And now I am helping us to remember.”
“If voting changed anything they’d make it illegal.”
“The sadness of others is seeping into my skin. I’ve been perseverating on something that isn’t mine.”
“We know what was passed down in terms of property and wealth, but your posing emotional questions?
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