The Seven Gifts Within Us, by the Sailor
THESE are seven stories tied together at the end. Each story is complete in itself. Each has compelling characters, fascinating environments, curious ideas, and interesting perspective. Each has a narrative style that is beguiling and gentle, seemingly child-like and yet not child-like at all.
The blurb says it much better than I: ‘In the Earth, Seven Gifts were sown. Then the rain came . . . as a young boy taking on a profound and insane journey through strange, interwoven worlds to find and germinate the Gifts. He is aided by some of the most bizarre and memorable characters that have ever appeared in a book. From reject rock star to a lonely white dolphin, each shows the boy the way of each Gift. And with the guidance of an Angel in a mysterious garden, the boy awakens the Seven Gifts; and the Seven Gifts awaken us.’
When I finished reading the book – and let it sit awhile in my thoughts – I realised I had read something completely new. There is no other in likeness to this book. It is a ‘great’ book, in the manner in which ‘great’ books can transform your thinking by presenting things to you in a new way. It is a great book in the manner of being easy to read, well written, beautifully crafted, always pointing to the final chapter. It never loses itself in flowery words, over-abundance of description, extended character conversation. The book has a story to tell and lets that be its impetus.
There is a genuine warmth to the stories; imagine sitting on grandpa’s knee while he tells you a much-loved story. The author doesn’t stand aloof from his characters; he walks the journey with them. The reader never feels that he is alone with the book to make of it what he will. He is guided with gentle hands to the place at the end of the book. He may not be surprised by its ending. But some readers may be surprised. The unsurprised reader may contemplate how, exactly, this is a foreshadow to that; the surprised reader may sit back and wonder how to proceed. But no reader will regret time spent with the book.
The reason I’ve written this review is because I know the author. And so do you, if you are a regular reader of The Conservative Woman. He signs his book as he signs his comments on TCW – ‘the Sailor’. He and I have never met, except in comments shared on TCW. Imagine my surprise when I discovered he is an author. Imagine the greater surprise that he is an accomplished and talented writer. But rest assured, were The Seven Gifts Within Us not as successful as it is, I would not have been prompted to write a review.
