Review by HClifford -- Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi
Posted: 18 Jul 2020, 09:33
[Following is a volunteer review of "Seven at Two Past Five" by Tara Basi.]
Seven-at-Two-Past-Five is the name assigned to the reluctant heroine and title-character of this Kafkaesque novel by author Tara Basi. The dystopian world in which the story is set seems to be one that is strictly governed by a synchronized regimen, in which every tick of an unseen clock orders the daily routine of Seven’s colorless existence.
Abi, which Seven claims is her real name, has spent every night since she was a child within the cramped confines of a coffin-sized box known as bunk-bed-coffin number Seven. There she is plagued by an unrest she calls the Terrors: nightmarish dreams from which her only escape happens during her waking hours, when at precisely two past five each morning she descends the ladder outside her box and makes her way along the same familiar path, past the rows of similar boxes whose inhabitants she’s never seen nor met, until she arrives at her designated workhouse. Here, she spends her solitary days making beautiful buttons in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials – something of which she is exceedingly proud. However, when the Terrors suddenly stop one night, replaced instead with happy and peaceful dreams, her once predictable world is thrown into what can best be described as insane disarray. As a result, Abi finds herself the defiant victim of a surreal legal system, in which she must defend the ever-mounting judgements made against her by an array of hostile and insane bureaucrats who seem to control every aspect of this strange reality.
It should be said straightaway that this book is not for everyone. To start with, its surreal and opaque narrative may be confusing for some readers, if not outright frustrating. There is also a fair amount of graphic language and explicit sexual references, which some might find offensive. That being said, I personally loved it. It is a beautifully written book with fully-imagined, quirky characters that lift off the page and draw you in to their outlandish universe. What I enjoyed most is the wonderfully fleshed out, emotional arc between Abi and the character who is her chief ally on her path toward justice: a legal admin named Zero who curiously calls her Ma.
If you’re a fan of allegory, then this book should be right up your alley. It is rich in philosophical, spiritual, and religious symbols and references that all point toward the ultimate unraveling of its central mystery. If I have one criticism, it is that some of the more absurd plot antics go a bit over the top – even within the context of this absurdist reality. These tend to feel inauthentic, perhaps even gratuitous, and typically detract from the overall strong forward movement of the narrative.
All in all, Seven-at-Two-Past-Five is an unequivocally brilliant book and a uniquely creative story. It is also exceptionally edited. I give it 4 out of 4 stars, and strongly recommend it to any reader who is generally turned-on by smart and thought-provoking fiction.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Seven-at-Two-Past-Five is the name assigned to the reluctant heroine and title-character of this Kafkaesque novel by author Tara Basi. The dystopian world in which the story is set seems to be one that is strictly governed by a synchronized regimen, in which every tick of an unseen clock orders the daily routine of Seven’s colorless existence.
Abi, which Seven claims is her real name, has spent every night since she was a child within the cramped confines of a coffin-sized box known as bunk-bed-coffin number Seven. There she is plagued by an unrest she calls the Terrors: nightmarish dreams from which her only escape happens during her waking hours, when at precisely two past five each morning she descends the ladder outside her box and makes her way along the same familiar path, past the rows of similar boxes whose inhabitants she’s never seen nor met, until she arrives at her designated workhouse. Here, she spends her solitary days making beautiful buttons in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials – something of which she is exceedingly proud. However, when the Terrors suddenly stop one night, replaced instead with happy and peaceful dreams, her once predictable world is thrown into what can best be described as insane disarray. As a result, Abi finds herself the defiant victim of a surreal legal system, in which she must defend the ever-mounting judgements made against her by an array of hostile and insane bureaucrats who seem to control every aspect of this strange reality.
It should be said straightaway that this book is not for everyone. To start with, its surreal and opaque narrative may be confusing for some readers, if not outright frustrating. There is also a fair amount of graphic language and explicit sexual references, which some might find offensive. That being said, I personally loved it. It is a beautifully written book with fully-imagined, quirky characters that lift off the page and draw you in to their outlandish universe. What I enjoyed most is the wonderfully fleshed out, emotional arc between Abi and the character who is her chief ally on her path toward justice: a legal admin named Zero who curiously calls her Ma.
If you’re a fan of allegory, then this book should be right up your alley. It is rich in philosophical, spiritual, and religious symbols and references that all point toward the ultimate unraveling of its central mystery. If I have one criticism, it is that some of the more absurd plot antics go a bit over the top – even within the context of this absurdist reality. These tend to feel inauthentic, perhaps even gratuitous, and typically detract from the overall strong forward movement of the narrative.
All in all, Seven-at-Two-Past-Five is an unequivocally brilliant book and a uniquely creative story. It is also exceptionally edited. I give it 4 out of 4 stars, and strongly recommend it to any reader who is generally turned-on by smart and thought-provoking fiction.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon