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jasperellis's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alhedrick's review
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cornybig's review
4.0
This was a very fun read. I marvelled at the different voices the author created in each character. But the ending was a letdown. I had hoped for more explanation on the Company, and expected (my own fault) more of a twist or a surprise. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this a lot. And I loved the detailed Toronto references.
mysticbanana's review
3.0
Whitton does an excellent job of making each character vivid and unique, but I wish the satirical aspects had been more pointed.
neilsb's review
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
natalier3's review
3.0
I'm so sad as I write this.
This book actually made me feel a little inferior as a reader! Highly intelligent and clever, and was formatted in just the style I like- police interviews. I love any book that is written in an unusual way- emails, texts etc.
Firstly, I was hooked immediately in the opening chapter, intrigued on the operation that the workers were involved in. But the characters annoyed me! They waffled, digressed, spoke irrelevant information and I found myself shouting 'get to the point, I want the good stuff!' and I found myself losing interest very quickly.
As other people have loved it, I think I was just not in the right concentration head space for this one.
This book actually made me feel a little inferior as a reader! Highly intelligent and clever, and was formatted in just the style I like- police interviews. I love any book that is written in an unusual way- emails, texts etc.
Firstly, I was hooked immediately in the opening chapter, intrigued on the operation that the workers were involved in. But the characters annoyed me! They waffled, digressed, spoke irrelevant information and I found myself shouting 'get to the point, I want the good stuff!' and I found myself losing interest very quickly.
As other people have loved it, I think I was just not in the right concentration head space for this one.
jess4eva's review
2.0
I think this book has a great concept and good potential. But I prefer plot driven books and this was too character focused with a skipping timeline that made it hard to really sink my teeth in to. I did appreciate reading a book set in 2022 local to Toronto - so it was fun reading about so many familiar places and quirks. But other than that, the book fell flat for me.
rgarli905's review
3.0
7 hotel employees each with a part to play in a mission to assassinate someone who visits the hotel. Except they don’t know when they have to carry out their part until one day the text arrives to set in motion the plan. None of them know of each other’s involvement. The story is told as a series of interviews with the employees after the event itself. It’s a unique way to tell a story. For some parts of the study I felt like I was on drugs! It was like a puzzle to be unravelled bit by bit. Satisfying to read but not sure I enjoyed it!
eflind's review
An interesting, mostly effective, puzzle of a story, Seven Down tells the story of a failed plot carried out by various sleeper agents, all employees of the same hotel and all unaware of each other’s affiliation with The Company. The book is arranged as a series of transcripts of recording with the agents after the plot, some a few years after the day, some merely a few hours. I loved getting bits and pieces of how everyone’s various stories connect in small and major ways, slowly putting together what when wrong and why. Much of the hows and whys are opaque, which adds to the intrigue. I was actually disappointed at the end, when the exactly goal of the plot is laid out plainly. It’s all a bit rote and cliched and really undercuts the rest of the book. I’d have been happier not knowing what it was that they were trying to accomplish and why.
sharada_mohan's review
4.0
Witty, dark, & satirical - Seven Down is a unique character study with a gut punching effect.
I would recommend diving into this blind, but all you need to know are – Seven hotel employees, a secret trigger code and a mission that fails spectacularly – all these lead to the company’s investigation of this fiasco – starting with the interviews of the involved staff.
The format of this book & the writing style pulled me in pretty quickly. Though it’s all very perplexing to begin with, as we hear the narrative of every protagonist, the plot & the events leading up to the debacle start becoming clear.
Whitton does a great job of maintaining a high level of secrecy & suspense all the way till the end. The plot is cleverly constructed & surprisingly, it wasn’t one bit predictable. Speculating anything & suspecting anybody was hard, which kept me turning the pages furiously with curiosity, to find out which of them pulled the plug & why.
I loved how Whitton explores the kind of psychological ramifications, this event brings upon each of the characters. However, I felt there was a bit too much of meaningless ramblings which caused me to lose interest at times.
The storyline deals with some serious subject matters such capitalism & drug abuse. But at the same time, there is a good balance with the snarky remarks & humor filled banter between the interviewer & the interviewee.
After some bizarre drama & crazy turn of events, the ending left me feeling – “aaaahh!”.
Overall, this was unlike any other book I’ve read. Short at 200 pages, it certainly has a lasting impact & makes you think about what you just read!
Thanks NetGalley & Dundurn press for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review!
I would recommend diving into this blind, but all you need to know are – Seven hotel employees, a secret trigger code and a mission that fails spectacularly – all these lead to the company’s investigation of this fiasco – starting with the interviews of the involved staff.
The format of this book & the writing style pulled me in pretty quickly. Though it’s all very perplexing to begin with, as we hear the narrative of every protagonist, the plot & the events leading up to the debacle start becoming clear.
Whitton does a great job of maintaining a high level of secrecy & suspense all the way till the end. The plot is cleverly constructed & surprisingly, it wasn’t one bit predictable. Speculating anything & suspecting anybody was hard, which kept me turning the pages furiously with curiosity, to find out which of them pulled the plug & why.
I loved how Whitton explores the kind of psychological ramifications, this event brings upon each of the characters. However, I felt there was a bit too much of meaningless ramblings which caused me to lose interest at times.
The storyline deals with some serious subject matters such capitalism & drug abuse. But at the same time, there is a good balance with the snarky remarks & humor filled banter between the interviewer & the interviewee.
After some bizarre drama & crazy turn of events, the ending left me feeling – “aaaahh!”.
Overall, this was unlike any other book I’ve read. Short at 200 pages, it certainly has a lasting impact & makes you think about what you just read!
Thanks NetGalley & Dundurn press for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review!