Review of Seven at Two Past Five
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Olga Markova
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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 at Two Past Five by Tara Basi is a fascinating story of the adventures of an aged and lonely button-maker. Her life is simple – by day she makes buttons, and by night she suffers from nightmares. Once she has an exceptional night free of nightmares, and the following morning she receives a call in her workshop imposing on her an unexpected penalty. She meets the penalty with surprise and indignation, and decides to appeal. Will the button-maker’s appeal succeed?
I enjoyed the sophisticated enigmatic language in which the author portrays the characters and the events unfolding in the book. Every character and every event adds to the progress of the story toward its most unexpected climax.
The characters and the events in the book give rise to a kaleidoscope of thoughts and emotions. It is unusually hard to label them with a “good” or “evil” tag. For example, the button-maker talks about the buttons she creates as her “creations”, “very essence, the reason for existence”, and her “only joy and sole purpose”. Throughout her appeal quest, she is nostalgically longing to be back to her button-making workshop. This vocational dedication is admirable, yet at the same time I believe it is depriving the button-maker of the wider perspective of life. I was particularly impressed by this message in the book as it made me reflect on my own life when I had regarded likewise my own career as a lawyer until a series of events opened to my own eyes a much wider perspective.
I enjoyed the brave satire on the justice system as the button-maker proceeds with her appeal. The book’s portrayal of the legal processes is grotesque and full of hilarious humour. For example, once the button-maker reached the closed counters with the lettering “Closed for Training in Customer Infuriation”. Other hilarious examples of the humour permeating the story include drunk bat rides through the Inns of Court to the House of Pointlessness at the Doomed-Pre-Hearings wing; the wealth assessment method for the button-maker to qualify for the appeal; the choosing of the witnesses, the barrister, and the solicitor; and even the appeal itself presided by Judge Oink. The barrister’s flattery to a judge - “My Lord will be remembered for his wisdom throughout all time. Perhaps, even until tomorrow” – is an example of the sophisticated ironical language in which this book is so well written.
In addition to its fast-paced suspenseful action, this book is very thought-provoking and has much more to offer to a sophisticated reader. The book’s characters and events are portrayed as enigmatic hyperbolae, allusions, and code names, making the reader try to unravel their multi-layered and multi-dimensional hidden meanings. The book’s title, the button-maker’s name, the names of the opponents of her appeal, the lifestyle of the button-maker, and the conventional dress code of the characters kept me captivated and trying to elicit the deeper meanings as the story was progressing.
The book was professionally edited, and I found only a couple of typographic errors of a kind that could be easily overlooked by a professional editor.
There is nothing I disliked in Seven at Two Past Five.
In my view, Seven at Two Past Five is one of the most sophisticated and enjoyable dark fantasy books I have ever read. My overall impression of this book is best described by the quote from the book itself - “Imaginary or not, it was an exhilarating odyssey.” I wholeheartedly rank Seven at Two Past Five 4 out of 4 stars and 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to the sophisticated audience of readers who enjoy unusual fantasy fiction with multiple hidden meanings behind the words. The book’s story of proceedings at the Inns of Court will entertain litigation lawyers and barristers. Due to the complexity of the book’s fable and narration, and intermittent episodes of strong and sexually explicit language, this book is not suitable for an underage audience. The book’s story contains religious undercurrents and allusions, which devout believers of any confession may find disagreeable.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi is a fascinating story of the adventures of an aged and lonely button-maker. Her life is simple – by day she makes buttons, and by night she suffers from nightmares. Once she has an exceptional night free of nightmares, and the following morning she receives a call in her workshop imposing on her an unexpected penalty. She meets the penalty with surprise and indignation, and decides to appeal. Will the button-maker’s appeal succeed?
I enjoyed the sophisticated enigmatic language in which the author portrays the characters and the events unfolding in the book. Every character and every event adds to the progress of the story toward its most unexpected climax.
The characters and the events in the book give rise to a kaleidoscope of thoughts and emotions. It is unusually hard to label them with a “good” or “evil” tag. For example, the button-maker talks about the buttons she creates as her “creations”, “very essence, the reason for existence”, and her “only joy and sole purpose”. Throughout her appeal quest, she is nostalgically longing to be back to her button-making workshop. This vocational dedication is admirable, yet at the same time I believe it is depriving the button-maker of the wider perspective of life. I was particularly impressed by this message in the book as it made me reflect on my own life when I had regarded likewise my own career as a lawyer until a series of events opened to my own eyes a much wider perspective.
I enjoyed the brave satire on the justice system as the button-maker proceeds with her appeal. The book’s portrayal of the legal processes is grotesque and full of hilarious humour. For example, once the button-maker reached the closed counters with the lettering “Closed for Training in Customer Infuriation”. Other hilarious examples of the humour permeating the story include drunk bat rides through the Inns of Court to the House of Pointlessness at the Doomed-Pre-Hearings wing; the wealth assessment method for the button-maker to qualify for the appeal; the choosing of the witnesses, the barrister, and the solicitor; and even the appeal itself presided by Judge Oink. The barrister’s flattery to a judge - “My Lord will be remembered for his wisdom throughout all time. Perhaps, even until tomorrow” – is an example of the sophisticated ironical language in which this book is so well written.
In addition to its fast-paced suspenseful action, this book is very thought-provoking and has much more to offer to a sophisticated reader. The book’s characters and events are portrayed as enigmatic hyperbolae, allusions, and code names, making the reader try to unravel their multi-layered and multi-dimensional hidden meanings. The book’s title, the button-maker’s name, the names of the opponents of her appeal, the lifestyle of the button-maker, and the conventional dress code of the characters kept me captivated and trying to elicit the deeper meanings as the story was progressing.
The book was professionally edited, and I found only a couple of typographic errors of a kind that could be easily overlooked by a professional editor.
There is nothing I disliked in Seven at Two Past Five.
In my view, Seven at Two Past Five is one of the most sophisticated and enjoyable dark fantasy books I have ever read. My overall impression of this book is best described by the quote from the book itself - “Imaginary or not, it was an exhilarating odyssey.” I wholeheartedly rank Seven at Two Past Five 4 out of 4 stars and 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to the sophisticated audience of readers who enjoy unusual fantasy fiction with multiple hidden meanings behind the words. The book’s story of proceedings at the Inns of Court will entertain litigation lawyers and barristers. Due to the complexity of the book’s fable and narration, and intermittent episodes of strong and sexually explicit language, this book is not suitable for an underage audience. The book’s story contains religious undercurrents and allusions, which devout believers of any confession may find disagreeable.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Fallen Kings by June Gillam
