Book Review: The Book of Sevens: the Mountains by A R Vikram

Couldn’t believe that this could be so much fun! Oh, how this book charmed me with its pesky characters and the magical book that deliberately threw them in adventures beyond their age…yet they managed to set everything all right for needy people on those mountains and around them. It was a sheer delight the way these kids got to navigate through the world, on different countries, on mountains, met with many people from time unknown to their consciousness. Do any of the stories of the mountain entice you? I liked that Iran story, it was like direct head-on with that monster snake, saving those brothers, and their village. Superbly built on imagination and some old folklore!

The stories of three kids, in home and outside, were funny, tender and heart-wrenching. No matter these were kids, unlike Enid Blyton, they have had their own share of grief and pitfalls in family. It was an earnest picture of attraction and all the associated complexities. The second concurrent theme of the novel was the children’s bickering, chemistry, hidden love…that ran like banter bringing heated arguments often…but in the end everything turns fine.

On personal front, I loved how Aneesh and Kayal fought but eventually ended complimenting each other. So true, adversity unites us. It was beautiful picture of seeing and understanding of accepting the other person as is. Before I close the review without adding spoiler alerts, the author’s ability to put puzzles amidst various geographical locations shined. And the ending of each story…at each mountain…simply blew my mind…at times albeit I had to reread some parts…but that is fine.

It is a masterpiece from an Indian author with incredible Indian teenage characters. AR Vikram’s novels are placed at far-off backdrops, either in futuristic timeline or shuttling between historical dates and future, especially with this book. She develops her fragile characters psychologically strong and when that happens true learning of life are learnt. This book demands time and a little practice of searching the famous mountains in Google if someone has to make peace with various timelines and backdrops. One can savour it gradually and have some armchair experience of adventure; it’s an absorbing read for teenage to matured readers alike.

You can buy the book from Amazon/Kindle.

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