My Top 6 - 'Cloud Atlas'

This was a bit of a funny one - I was recommended this book by Monique, a friend and colleague at Springfield, who didn't like it but thought I would! When she mentioned it, I also remembered someone else I met recommending it as well, so when I was given some book tokens, I bought it. Well, I must say, Monique has excellent judgement, as I loved it!

This is not really like one novel, it's more like 6 short novels which have been opened to the middle and laid flat one on top of the other, then closed again. I don't know if that explains it so say each book has a number, and the first half is A and the second half B, when you read it, the order goes: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, 1B. If that makes any more sense! The stories move in time from the late 1800s to a post-apocalyptic future, and while none directly relate to another in terms of protagonist or even theme, they all connect in some way. For example, the first 'book' is The Pacific Journals of Adam Ewing following an English lawyer who has gone to Australia on behalf of a client, and ends up stranded in the Chathams. The second book, Letters to Zedelgem (sp?) is about a young composer who travels to the Netherlands I think, to offer his scribing services to a very famous composer who is a syphilitic invalid and can no longer compose on his own. Whilst there, this young composer discovers The Pacific Journals... and secretly sells them to a rather shady dealer. For another example, there is a birthmark shared by more than one character, book 3 is then being considered for publication by a minor character in book 4 and so on. In one case, a character from one book is revered as a god by the next!

What amazed me is how clearly and beautifully David Mitchell writes in such a variety of styles. Once you realise the convention (the first book finishes in the middle of a sentence, the only one that does, which I think is to make you flip forward and realise what is going on), it is fun to pick up on all the through-themes, and once you are reading the second halves of each, you see even more. I don't know if it's for everyone, as I know a few people who gave up, not liking the jumping around, but it is a beautiful, thought-provoking novel, and written by a very talented storyteller. I haven't read any of his others yet, but I am planning to, and will be interested to see if they can live up to Cloud Atlas.

By the way, I have changed my blog template as I got a bit overwhelmed by the previous green. Hope I didn't confuse anyone!