Review: No. 7: They’re Calling by Nandita Banerjee

Author Nandita Banerjee unfurls a brilliant web of supernatural mystery and deep cultural detail in No. 7: They’re Calling. The relationship of a seemingly ideal couple begins to crumble when ghosts from the past come calling, and human nature is run through the gamut in this entertaining thriller.

Priya and Ravi seem to have the perfect life as immigrants living in Texas – comfort, stability, wealth, good friends, children off in college, and an unquenched love for one another, even after decades of marriage. However, when a traumatic piece of Priya’s past returns to her life, so too do the memories from her early years on the other side of the globe in India. The mysterious loss of that childhood friend is mirrored in the sudden tragic death of Ruby and Vinay, two of Priya’s closest friends in Houston.

This shocking event triggers a spiral of deception, betrayal, bitterness, and wounded spirits that threaten all the couple has built together. Supernatural threats Priya had dismissed as childhood fancy may be taking a more real form – a curse on her beautiful life, somehow tied to their mystical good luck charm of a house.

Summoning shades of Danielewski’s suspenseful style with the delicate cultural insight of Arundhati Roy or Zadie Smith, this is a remarkable story of belief, love, friendship, loss and humanity’s struggle to process the unknown. The emotional candor and depth in many of the passages are raw and beautifully human, while many readers will be enthralled by the subtle weaving of cultural history and tradition. There are many aspects of this novel that are a delight, but the relationship between Priya and Ravi stands above them all. Capturing the uncertainty and distress of a marriage on the brink is something many writers attempt and fail to achieve, and Banerjee’s sensitivity as an author and observer of the heart is undeniable.

While the storytelling and execution of the plot are both admirably done, the language varies in quality. Some passages are clearly polished, with clever turns of phrase and interesting syntax. Others exist on the opposite side of the spectrum: predictable idioms, repetitive sentence structure, and narration flatly delivered, so more consistency in the level of prose would eliminate some of these weaker moments. Slightly fewer explanations of emotional import would also force readers to pay attention, rather than wait for the exact meaning to be handed them. Additionally, the dialogue could use more emotional variation, as there is a lack of differentiation between each character’s voice. Many conversations come across as purely functional, a bridge between plot points, but not valuable or engaging in and of themselves.

Though the consistency of the writing is an issue, there are countless poetic moments and cliff-hanger lines where the author manipulates tension masterfully. As a whole, No. 7: They’re Calling is a stirring supernatural thriller that is rich in detail and widely relatable thanks in large part to carefully crafted and authentic protagonists who never fail to surprise, and a story brimming with unique mystery.