Review of Seven at Two Past Five
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- Latest Review: Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi
Review of Seven at Two Past Five
[Following is a volunteer review of "Seven at Two Past Five" by Tara Basi.]
I should preface this review with a trigger warning by saying that while I was thoroughly entertained by this story, it isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t like religiously irreverent, allegorical parodies. There’s quite a bit of profanity and there were several sexually suggestive statements/jokes.
Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi is about a day in the life of a button maker named Abi. Her usually quiet, simple life is upended for reasons outside her control, and she’s swept up in a farcical muddle of legal affairs. The characters that she’s forced to interact with are shrewd, disturbing, and delightfully absurd. Her journey takes her to levels of the world that lack logical explanation and feel as though they wouldn’t be out of place in either a dream or a nightmare. I felt for Abi and her need to get her uncomplicated life back, which became ever more important and seemingly unattainable as the tale went on.
The first part of the book yanked me in completely, and I was immediately invested. Abi’s existence was wonderfully quiet and solitary before the legal problems began, but then she was suddenly dragged into a nonsensical world for unclear reasons. Even the friends she developed along the way confused her and lacked the desperation and urgency Abi felt in her situation. However, they did help her, in their own ways, and guided her through the laughable legal process.
As the chapters went on, I thought I knew where the story was going and then it took a weird turn, then another, and then the weird turns kept coming. The second half of the book slowed down a bit. I didn’t mind the shift in pace because it still moved along nicely and the strangeness got even stranger. Although the world became even more fantastical, familiar bits started to emerge. There were nods to religious ideals, traditions, and standards that played out like a slapstick show. I got even more excited at this point because I love a good bit of sacrilege.
As for the ending, if you like tidy, fully-explained narratives then you might feel disappointed. While the ending made sense, not all of the individual threads or characters throughout the story were fully laced up (much like being in a dream). I was torn about the ending at first because I’m one of those people who typically want every puzzle piece to fit and every minuscule question to be answered. However, the ending fits this story perfectly and I am satisfied.
Overall, this book was quite a ride. I find myself thinking about the storyline in terms of how it felt instead of what the plot actually was because the extraordinary events, characters, and places really burrowed into my head. It was like trying to put a puzzle together, but all the pieces kept morphing into different shapes. This is one of those books that you just have to buckle up and brace yourself for because it's a twisty-turny, upside down, off-the-rails roller coaster ride. If that sounds like a good time for you, then you will like this.
I gave this 4 out of 4 stars. The story was enjoyable and nicely written. I found no errors and it was exceptionally well edited.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I should preface this review with a trigger warning by saying that while I was thoroughly entertained by this story, it isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t like religiously irreverent, allegorical parodies. There’s quite a bit of profanity and there were several sexually suggestive statements/jokes.
Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi is about a day in the life of a button maker named Abi. Her usually quiet, simple life is upended for reasons outside her control, and she’s swept up in a farcical muddle of legal affairs. The characters that she’s forced to interact with are shrewd, disturbing, and delightfully absurd. Her journey takes her to levels of the world that lack logical explanation and feel as though they wouldn’t be out of place in either a dream or a nightmare. I felt for Abi and her need to get her uncomplicated life back, which became ever more important and seemingly unattainable as the tale went on.
The first part of the book yanked me in completely, and I was immediately invested. Abi’s existence was wonderfully quiet and solitary before the legal problems began, but then she was suddenly dragged into a nonsensical world for unclear reasons. Even the friends she developed along the way confused her and lacked the desperation and urgency Abi felt in her situation. However, they did help her, in their own ways, and guided her through the laughable legal process.
As the chapters went on, I thought I knew where the story was going and then it took a weird turn, then another, and then the weird turns kept coming. The second half of the book slowed down a bit. I didn’t mind the shift in pace because it still moved along nicely and the strangeness got even stranger. Although the world became even more fantastical, familiar bits started to emerge. There were nods to religious ideals, traditions, and standards that played out like a slapstick show. I got even more excited at this point because I love a good bit of sacrilege.
As for the ending, if you like tidy, fully-explained narratives then you might feel disappointed. While the ending made sense, not all of the individual threads or characters throughout the story were fully laced up (much like being in a dream). I was torn about the ending at first because I’m one of those people who typically want every puzzle piece to fit and every minuscule question to be answered. However, the ending fits this story perfectly and I am satisfied.
Overall, this book was quite a ride. I find myself thinking about the storyline in terms of how it felt instead of what the plot actually was because the extraordinary events, characters, and places really burrowed into my head. It was like trying to put a puzzle together, but all the pieces kept morphing into different shapes. This is one of those books that you just have to buckle up and brace yourself for because it's a twisty-turny, upside down, off-the-rails roller coaster ride. If that sounds like a good time for you, then you will like this.
I gave this 4 out of 4 stars. The story was enjoyable and nicely written. I found no errors and it was exceptionally well edited.
******
Seven at Two Past Five
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi
