The Eleventh Hour (Book Review) (Patreon)

Hey Patrons. Nobody asked for this, but i thought i’d share a review for The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base (1989).

It has a premise that is Wonka-level bonkers. By the end of your first reading, you find out a great feast has been stolen (eaten) at Horace the Elephant’s costume party. On the final pages, the author asks you to find out who the culprit is by rereading the book more carefully.

I first experienced this book when I was 9 or so, thinking it a convoluted follow-up to GM’s masterpiece, Animalia. Now 30 years later, i’ve come to appreciate how special it can be if the clues are meticulously considered and doled out theatrically for a 6-year old.

My niece loves mysteries, so we dove into this book pretty hard- with more attention than I ever gave it as a youngster. 

Every page has a smattering of clues- some of them helpful, some annoyingly enigmatic (who the fuck makes kids decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics?). A lot of clues come from de-scrambling words or generating codes for alphabets. We revisited this book nightly over the course of a week, only hitting boredom on a couple occasions.

I’ve heard it said that first timers on acid should have a caring guide nearby, and i feel the same about this book. Sometimes it feels like the author doesn’t give a shit about you.

My niece and i kept up a pretty consistent sleuth-attitude throughout our experience, letting our minds get blown at every turn. By playing along with the ridiculous premise, we gave each other more inspiration to continue, recruiting others to help with its treacherous density.

In the sealed section of the book (or online?) there are answers to some of the more impossible riddles and clues. I do recommend accessing these prior to spending a thesis’ amount of time on this book. By artificially increasing the rate of your "realization" for the [child] you're reading with, you can give yourselves breakthrough moments just prior to despair.

As a book, it’s inscrutably beautiful. As the framework for an experience with someone whose perceptions are still budding, it was an absolute bonding experience to dwell in various mysteries together. 

For a much less ambiguous recommendation, I will mention Animalia again- it’s like a Where’s Waldo for thinking kids! Each perfect page features things that all begin with the same letter.