Review: No. 7: The Date by Nandita Banerjee

Author Nandita Banerjee delivers yet another tangled knot of family drama with No. 7: The Date, the second installment of this eerie and thoughtfully crafted series.

Still reeling from her newly upended life, and the consequences of her husband’s sinister cabal activities, Priya must muddle through the aftermath of ghostly encounters, controlling relatives, natural disasters, unwanted advances, and even her son’s marriage proceedings in an endless quest to find peace. Armed with quiet perseverance, she must hold her family together on opposite sides of the world, all while juggling a dangerous and growing list of secrets – about her husband, the tragic accident that claimed her friends’ lives, and the spiritual visitations that have redirected her life.

However, mysterious gifts from the past, sinister books, gleaming necklaces, and the tragic loss of her childhood friend still haunt her steps, resulting in a twisted and terrifically compelling novel that is entirely unpredictable. Mingling visceral drama with intergenerational wisdom, this bold story provides a rare and revelatory peek at timeless family dynamics amidst an ever-changing world. The visceral descriptions of grief, and the way they are explored through Priya’s character, make this a powerful read for anyone who has felt loss in their life, yet found a way to push through.

Deftly exploring cross-cultural issues between the United States and India, as well as more universal themes of guilt, manipulative forms of love, self-deception, gender domination, painful separations, and the sacrifices we make for our children, this is a deeply intimate and probing novel that isn’t afraid of forcing readers to reflect on their own experiences. The paranormal aspects are woven so seamlessly into this mysterious tale that one can almost forget that this genre-bending novel is fiction.

The prose is lyrical and lush, vacillating between stark, declarative moments of strong prose to thought-provoking descriptions and minor self-reflections. The narrator truly comes to life, in all her damaged dimensions, as a fierce mother, a heartbroken wife, and a deeply resilient person, one who can move through her own existence with nuance, curiosity, and passion. The settings are characters in themselves, as are the deep dive scenes into rarely exposed cultural moments – from the intimate to the grandiose – making this a pleasure for any reader seeking a true escape.

There are some technical issues in the novel, specifically misspelled words and basic grammatical errors that could be easily fixed with a final proofread. Also, there are some instances of telling what is happening, and explaining characters reactions regarding a particular event, rather than showing readers these emotions and properly immersing them in the narrative. Some of this storytelling simplification is for the sake of the plot, which is winding and dense, but there are other moments that seem rushed or treated with less importance.

All told, however, this is an exquisitely penned book, demonstrating great draftsmanship and the ability to blend fictional levity and wonder with hard-hitting commentary and relatable characters. Fans of magical realism, character-driven drama, and supernatural thrillers alike will find all the boxes ticked in Banerjee’s latest offering.