3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Grabbing a book to immerse yourself in its world is alluring. Nonetheless, many readers cannot invest much time to reading long books because of the hectic life they live. I am one of them. That’s why I chose to read Time is of the Essence written by Phoebe Wilby. This book is perfect for readers who need a “bit of escapism” in the middle of their busy life, as the author points out. It has enrapturing stories that will make you shed tears, laugh, reflect, and bring back memories, perhaps yours or someone’s else, in a short period of time.
Time is of the Essence is Wilby’s second book, a collection of stories to be more precise, in which she highlights the theme of time. The cover makes an outstanding job to convey the book’s theme. With a golden pocket watch that lies on the sand, the reader receives the underlying message that anyone is vulnerable to time and its effects. Nobody escapes time. The eleven short stories, three articles and two essays in this book hold a message related to time for each type of reader.
Indeed, the stories are designed to appeal an assortment of readers. Let’s start with the romance lovers. If that’s your gender, you’ll definitely have to read “A Modern Fairy Tale” and “A Moment in Time.” If what you like is stories that make you reflect about life, then read “A Time to Heal,” and “Bonnie and Claude.” If you prefer stories with a twist in it, you may enjoy “Blood Ties” and “Chemical Imbalance.” If what attracts you is action and survival stories, you must read “Flying Over the Enemy” and “Reluctant Hero.” Perhaps what you are looking for is to giggle a little or have a laugh. Then, you should read “Mixed Messages” and “Scammed.”
I basked in reading these fascinating stories. Let me tell you about just one of them, “Last Moments in Time.” It narrates the story of an old woman named Ruth who lives alone, and in her land, she has a beautiful tall Poinciana tree. This tree has seen three generations grow. Since the beginning of the story, you start asking yourself, why is this old woman by herself? Where’s her family? And then you realize she’s not alone anymore. She receives some visitors. Nevertheless, because she’s old, she’s so used to doing the daily activities in her house that she almost neglects to assist her visitors. Who are these visitors? What do they want? What connection do they have with her? You have to read the story to know. It’s a heartbreaking story, I must warn you.
While I enjoyed the vivid descriptions in the stories and loved the word choices that the author used, I found a lot of sentences with missing commas and periods. In some cases, I had to re-read the sentences again to understand them clearly. I should also say that when reading three of the stories, I found them quite predictable. This may not disturb some readers, but others may not like it much. Not all the stories are like that, I must say.
In sum, this collection of stories is magnificent. I read some of the stories twice because I fancied them. I even narrated some of them to my husband before going to bed. He enjoyed them as well. If I could give this book 3.5, I would. However, the system doesn’t allow me to do so. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I think after another round of editing, this book will be impeccable. Now, what story will you read first?
******
Time is of the Essence
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Kalin Adi's review? Post a comment saying so!
