Review by timd -- Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi
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Tim Terry
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Review by timd -- Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi
[Following is a volunteer review of "Seven at Two Past Five" by Tara Basi.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi is a weird and dark fantasy. It is about an old lady called Seven at Two Past Five, otherwise known as Abi, who has spent her entire life making buttons. At night she sleeps alone in her bunk bed in room number seven in the bunk bed tower. She wakes up daily to begin a pleasantly ordered day alone at her work station. Her contented life is marred only by the terrible nightmares that she experiences every night.
The narrative begins when she wakes up one morning to discover that she is refreshed and has slept through the night without her usual terrors. She is puzzled but also relieved about this surprising turn of affairs. Unfortunately, her whole life changes when she receives a message informing her that she will be punished for her transgression of not having had her usual nightmares.
Speaking to someone else for the first time in her life, on the telephone at her workstation, she learns that in order to appeal her punishment she is required to wear her encounter robe and travel to a new destination later in the day. This is where she is introduced to a strange world filled with weird people and absurd rules and regulations. It turns out that compliance with these rules is difficult and virtually impossible.
Her quest for justice takes her through a baffling maze of administrative departments run by specialists in fields from religion to science, medicine, and the law. Not only does she meet interesting characters and see exotic places, but she also discovers clues to her true identity and the nature of her reality. The question which she has to solve is whether everything is simply part of a dream? If this is so, who is the dreamer and what is his responsibility to his dream? The answer to these problems is surprising and unexpected.
Seven at Two Past Five could be best described as a dystopian fantasy about life as well as a dark mixture of Alice in Wonderland, combined with A Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained also comes to mind especially later on in the story. Certainly, one of the characters whom she encounters appears to resemble Lucifer and his grandiose self-pitying ramblings.
The writing is in the first person narrative, from Abi’s point of view. At first, one is inclined to believe that she is actually describing our normal world. Her descriptions are bizarre but they could be observations of someone seeing the outside world for the first time. However, it soon becomes obvious that this is not our world at all, except for the caricatures of the petty rules, behaviours, and regulations that govern our society.
Abi appears to be far more intelligent, knowledgeable, and resourceful than one would assume a simple button maker to be. She is also very sympathetic and caring, despite her own desperate plight for justice and her desire to return to her old and boring world. The author handles this very skilfully, but also with some brutal humour added to every situation.
It appears that one of the messages in this book is that we all seem quite contented with the neat and orderly worlds that we live in, however they could easily be upset by the chaos that exists in reality. This will appeal to readers who enjoy philosophical adventure, combined with humour and fantasy. It will certainly not appeal to readers who enjoy boring convention and orderliness in their thinking as well as their lives.
The surrealistic scenes and colourful characters would make an exceptional movie and also an excellent stage drama. Although there are some extraordinary scenes, they would be easy to adapt to the stage. The imagery and allegory are one of a kind and would make an unforgettable production.
My only criticism is that I felt that there were too many scenes repeating themselves. This felt tiring but it could also be the author’s intention in order to convey Abi’s frustration with her impossible circumstances.
There were only two errors in punctuation that I noted, and the editing is of a very high standard as there were no typos or faults in grammar.
Readers who are offended by religious parody and brutal criticism of the values of our society may not appreciate this book. It is, however, an absolutely unique reading experience that will never be forgotten as it extends the limits of our imagination and preconceived beliefs in a dramatically unique manner. I have awarded it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi is a weird and dark fantasy. It is about an old lady called Seven at Two Past Five, otherwise known as Abi, who has spent her entire life making buttons. At night she sleeps alone in her bunk bed in room number seven in the bunk bed tower. She wakes up daily to begin a pleasantly ordered day alone at her work station. Her contented life is marred only by the terrible nightmares that she experiences every night.
The narrative begins when she wakes up one morning to discover that she is refreshed and has slept through the night without her usual terrors. She is puzzled but also relieved about this surprising turn of affairs. Unfortunately, her whole life changes when she receives a message informing her that she will be punished for her transgression of not having had her usual nightmares.
Speaking to someone else for the first time in her life, on the telephone at her workstation, she learns that in order to appeal her punishment she is required to wear her encounter robe and travel to a new destination later in the day. This is where she is introduced to a strange world filled with weird people and absurd rules and regulations. It turns out that compliance with these rules is difficult and virtually impossible.
Her quest for justice takes her through a baffling maze of administrative departments run by specialists in fields from religion to science, medicine, and the law. Not only does she meet interesting characters and see exotic places, but she also discovers clues to her true identity and the nature of her reality. The question which she has to solve is whether everything is simply part of a dream? If this is so, who is the dreamer and what is his responsibility to his dream? The answer to these problems is surprising and unexpected.
Seven at Two Past Five could be best described as a dystopian fantasy about life as well as a dark mixture of Alice in Wonderland, combined with A Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained also comes to mind especially later on in the story. Certainly, one of the characters whom she encounters appears to resemble Lucifer and his grandiose self-pitying ramblings.
The writing is in the first person narrative, from Abi’s point of view. At first, one is inclined to believe that she is actually describing our normal world. Her descriptions are bizarre but they could be observations of someone seeing the outside world for the first time. However, it soon becomes obvious that this is not our world at all, except for the caricatures of the petty rules, behaviours, and regulations that govern our society.
Abi appears to be far more intelligent, knowledgeable, and resourceful than one would assume a simple button maker to be. She is also very sympathetic and caring, despite her own desperate plight for justice and her desire to return to her old and boring world. The author handles this very skilfully, but also with some brutal humour added to every situation.
It appears that one of the messages in this book is that we all seem quite contented with the neat and orderly worlds that we live in, however they could easily be upset by the chaos that exists in reality. This will appeal to readers who enjoy philosophical adventure, combined with humour and fantasy. It will certainly not appeal to readers who enjoy boring convention and orderliness in their thinking as well as their lives.
The surrealistic scenes and colourful characters would make an exceptional movie and also an excellent stage drama. Although there are some extraordinary scenes, they would be easy to adapt to the stage. The imagery and allegory are one of a kind and would make an unforgettable production.
My only criticism is that I felt that there were too many scenes repeating themselves. This felt tiring but it could also be the author’s intention in order to convey Abi’s frustration with her impossible circumstances.
There were only two errors in punctuation that I noted, and the editing is of a very high standard as there were no typos or faults in grammar.
Readers who are offended by religious parody and brutal criticism of the values of our society may not appreciate this book. It is, however, an absolutely unique reading experience that will never be forgotten as it extends the limits of our imagination and preconceived beliefs in a dramatically unique manner. I have awarded it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like timd's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Mobius by Garon Whited
