Review by Laura Bach -- Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi

[Laura Ungureanu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Seven at Two Past Five" by Tara Basi.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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I’ve never seen myself so eager to pick up a book until I stumbled across Seven at Two Past Five by Tara Basi. I was immediately hooked by its Kafkaesque style and the gorgeous cover. It was a memorable experience, and I hope more and more people will read this book.

Abi is also known as “Seven”. Two Past Five is the time she has to leave her bunk-bed-tower to go to work. Not a second sooner or later. Not that she would ever dare to test that. She is just an old button maker. Every night, the Terrors come to her sleep. These nightmares are part of her life. The intrigue starts when one night, the Terrors fail to disturb her sleep. She wakes up fresh and dances while walking to work. At her workhouse, she finds a note that tells her she is to be punished for missing the Terrors. She insists that she is innocent and continues to fight this absurd justice system. Will she have a successful case against the tyranny of the world?

Abi is a wonderfully written character. You don’t expect a button maker to be brave, but Abi is curious, smart, and cunning. What makes her so likable is the way she gets readers to empathize with her. You know she is innocent, so you rot for her to get her justice. Abi knows other people exist because every day, while she is working, someone changes her sheets and cleans her chamber pot. You will be charmed by the way Abi describes her lonely grey world. You discover the world through her eyes, so you know as much or as little as she does. Her entire universe is the little room and the workhouse. Or at least that’s what she thinks.

Besides getting her justice, another plot develops in finding out Abi’s real name. Characters give hints of some other name Abi undoubtedly has without her knowing. The action takes place in a single day. That single day changes Abi’s life radically. While she previously never met another person, she now meets a lot of new and mysterious characters.

I recommend Seven at Two Past Five to everyone who enjoyed "The Trial" by Franz Kafka and "1984" by George Orwell. In the beginning, Abi is living a controlled life just like in "1984". After a while, the story becomes full of absurd events that can be easily linked to "The Trial". Compared to "The Trial", the fresh and modern perspective of Tara Basi made me enjoy this book even more than Kafka’s. Everyone who enjoys a bit of darkness and chaos should check out this book. I don’t recommend it to religious people that easily get offended.

The book is more diverse than I initially expected. It treats subjects from science to religion. I was surprised to find a bit of string theory in there at the same time I was searching the web about it. The vocabulary is also extended from my usual one, bringing up a lot of words that I had to check, for example, “to confabulate”.

The ending gives a deeper meaning to the story than I could ever imagine. I was left speechless, so I had to tell a friend all about it, even if it was the middle of the night. I congratulate Tara Basi for the performance of imagining and writing this scenario.

I’ve only found insignificant errors that don’t deserve mentioning and are hardly visible. Summing-up, the book has an astounding plot, a well-constructed main character and narrator, captivating writing style, and a great twist at the end. Adding the professional editing to this recipe, we get a well-deserved 4 out of 4 stars book.

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Seven at Two Past Five
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Like Laura Bach's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Delaney35]

Abi seems like a well-developed character. I can tell you really enjoyed this book. Great review. I think I might really enjoy this book.

[Laura Ungureanu]

Abi seems like a well-developed character. I can tell you really enjoyed this book. Great review. I think I might really enjoy this book.

Abi is a memorable character. She is the reason the book is so good. Thank you for your comment!

[labibliofile]

Your review is truly engaging and tells me what exactly you liked about the book! Thank you for the recommendation!

[Kristin Ransome]

I just finished this book and I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the quirky way the author portrayed many of the characters, and the humour brought in by some of Seven's inner monologue! I'm glad you got as much enjoyment out of it as I did Thanks for honest review!

[Laura Ungureanu]

Your review is truly engaging and tells me what exactly you liked about the book! Thank you for the recommendation!

Thank you for your comment!

[Laura Ungureanu]

I just finished this book and I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the quirky way the author portrayed many of the characters, and the humour brought in by some of Seven's inner monologue! I'm glad you got as much enjoyment out of it as I did Thanks for honest review!

I am happy other people enjoy this book as much as I did. Thank you for your comment!

[nooregano]

You recommend this book to people who like Kafka and Orwell? Wow, count me in!! Thanks for this superb, detailed analysis! This was a spectacular review.

[gen_g]

I do enjoy Kafka and Orwell, and this does also have an interesting premise - I'll keep this title in mind. Thanks for the lovely review, Laura!

[Manang Muyang]

I know a bit about Kafka's The Trial and Orwell's 1984, but I have yet to read them. I did get to enjoy a sample of Abi's life as a button-maker and would like to get to know her better. Your raving review makes me even more determined to read the book.

[Laura Ungureanu]

You recommend this book to people who like Kafka and Orwell? Wow, count me in!! Thanks for this superb, detailed analysis! This was a spectacular review.

Thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoy the book!

[Laura Ungureanu]

I do enjoy Kafka and Orwell, and this does also have an interesting premise - I'll keep this title in mind. Thanks for the lovely review, Laura!

Thank you for your comment! If you enjoy Kafka and Orwell than I am sure you will love this one as well.

[InStoree]

Your review was so enthusiastic that I felt the excitement you experienced. I can't wait to meet Abi. Thank you for your rapturous review, Laura!

[Laura Ungureanu]

I know a bit about Kafka's The Trial and Orwell's 1984, but I have yet to read them. I did get to enjoy a sample of Abi's life as a button-maker and would like to get to know her better. Your raving review makes me even more determined to read the book.

Thank you! I hope you get the chance to read it.

[Laura Ungureanu]

Your review was so enthusiastic that I felt the excitement you experienced. I can't wait to meet Abi. Thank you for your rapturous review, Laura!

Thank you for your kind words! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!