Review of Seven at Two Past Five
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Jackie Kook
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Review of Seven at Two Past Five
[Following is a volunteer review of "Seven at Two Past Five" by Tara Basi.]
Seven exits her bunk-bed-coffin at precisely Two Past Five and begins her morning routine in preparation for a day of making customized buttons. However, today is not like every day before. Instead of a blue envelope with instructions and materials at her workhouse, today there is a black envelope instructing Seven to cease button-making and await further information. Last night Seven did not encounter the Terrors in her sleep for the first time she can recall, which has set off a ripple effect of increasingly unusual and nonsensical events as she seeks to combat the Judgement laid upon her. With Zero and Grunge as her unlikely allies Seven works to create order from the madness and find a logical end to her situation. Unfortunately for Seven, there is more to the story than just her dreams and the conclusion may force her to make an unthinkable choice.
Seven at Two Past Five is a well-written novel with an interesting storyline that is as unexpected as it is unusual. Readers of such novels as The Phantom Tollbooth may well appreciate the wordplay and nuanced use of words such as verisimilitude as foreshadowing elements. The juxtaposition of Seven’s formal, literal speech with the more common, slang-filled comments made by other characters sets up varying levels of frustration and comedic effect for the reader. The change between speech patterns also makes it a little easier for the reader to understand what is happening throughout the story and predict what might come next. This is a book you must pay attention to for complete understanding.
Author Tara Basi’s choice of words and speech does create a bit of an issue for the casual reader, however. It would be handy to have a dictionary nearby, and even an internet search engine to catch all the little bits of information as the book winds its way through Seven’s journey. The allegory comes across as a little heavy-handed towards the end, and it is easy to become disenchanted with Seven as an unwitting victim. Because of the arcane word choices and linguistic structure, the book starts slow and is difficult to get into at the very beginning. That said, Basi has created a story that is overall compelling, novel, and interesting.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars due to its unusual storyline, use of allegory for a complex topic, excellent editing, and overall interest. It took me a little longer to read than most books of this length because it was a more challenging read, which I appreciated. Seven’s character arc was compelling through the climactic scene. The conclusion of the story was satisfying and tied up the main characters quite well. The events that occurred throughout the book became clear as part of the allegorical story upon reaching the end.
This book would appeal to a mature audience with at least passing familiarity with British English and some religious background. Due to the slow start, unusual language, British spellings and profanity, and rapid transitions between highly literal and almost slovenly speech patterns, the story would be best suited for an adult with an inquisitive and discerning mind. I could also see this book appealing to students of religious literature or philosophy. Seven at Two Past Five would be an excellent book to read two or even three times to fully absorb all the elements of its unique storyline.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Seven exits her bunk-bed-coffin at precisely Two Past Five and begins her morning routine in preparation for a day of making customized buttons. However, today is not like every day before. Instead of a blue envelope with instructions and materials at her workhouse, today there is a black envelope instructing Seven to cease button-making and await further information. Last night Seven did not encounter the Terrors in her sleep for the first time she can recall, which has set off a ripple effect of increasingly unusual and nonsensical events as she seeks to combat the Judgement laid upon her. With Zero and Grunge as her unlikely allies Seven works to create order from the madness and find a logical end to her situation. Unfortunately for Seven, there is more to the story than just her dreams and the conclusion may force her to make an unthinkable choice.
Seven at Two Past Five is a well-written novel with an interesting storyline that is as unexpected as it is unusual. Readers of such novels as The Phantom Tollbooth may well appreciate the wordplay and nuanced use of words such as verisimilitude as foreshadowing elements. The juxtaposition of Seven’s formal, literal speech with the more common, slang-filled comments made by other characters sets up varying levels of frustration and comedic effect for the reader. The change between speech patterns also makes it a little easier for the reader to understand what is happening throughout the story and predict what might come next. This is a book you must pay attention to for complete understanding.
Author Tara Basi’s choice of words and speech does create a bit of an issue for the casual reader, however. It would be handy to have a dictionary nearby, and even an internet search engine to catch all the little bits of information as the book winds its way through Seven’s journey. The allegory comes across as a little heavy-handed towards the end, and it is easy to become disenchanted with Seven as an unwitting victim. Because of the arcane word choices and linguistic structure, the book starts slow and is difficult to get into at the very beginning. That said, Basi has created a story that is overall compelling, novel, and interesting.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars due to its unusual storyline, use of allegory for a complex topic, excellent editing, and overall interest. It took me a little longer to read than most books of this length because it was a more challenging read, which I appreciated. Seven’s character arc was compelling through the climactic scene. The conclusion of the story was satisfying and tied up the main characters quite well. The events that occurred throughout the book became clear as part of the allegorical story upon reaching the end.
This book would appeal to a mature audience with at least passing familiarity with British English and some religious background. Due to the slow start, unusual language, British spellings and profanity, and rapid transitions between highly literal and almost slovenly speech patterns, the story would be best suited for an adult with an inquisitive and discerning mind. I could also see this book appealing to students of religious literature or philosophy. Seven at Two Past Five would be an excellent book to read two or even three times to fully absorb all the elements of its unique storyline.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Souljourner by Paul Steven Stone
