This is an interesting, if challenging, book with a very important message for the twenty-first century. Six stories are interwoven in a manner reminiscent of Italo Calvino’s “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller …” as each, apart from the sixth, is interrupted and later resumed in a palindromic form. They range in chronological order from the mid-nineteenth century to a post-apocalyptic future and combine historical narrative, romance, political corruption, environmental catastrophe, science fiction and moral philosophy, each being linked to its predecessor. For example, Sixsmith, the recipient of Robert Frobisher’s letters in the second story, is a key figure in the third. An appropriate variety of literary genres and language is employed to match the content. The Pacific journal of Adam Ewing reflects the language and syntax of William Makepeace Thackeray, “Letters from Zedelghem” is redolent of Eric Fenby’s “Delius as I Knew Him”, “The First Luisa Rey Mystery” resembles a somewhat incredible but exciting James Bond film (very different from the deeper books of Ian Fleming), while “Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After” combines Alex’s patois from “A Clockwork Orange” with the restricted vocabulary of many participants in modern Radio 4 programmes. The dystopian future depicted is not unlike that of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World “with a touch of Karel Kapek’s “RUR”. A major theme throughout is that unfettered consumerism, seen by government in “An Orison of Sonmi-451” as the key to progress, together with acceptance of the “physikos aner” doctrine of the first book of Plato’s “Republic” (which is best summed up on p. 508 and again on p.524 with the words: “The weak are meat, the strong do eat”) spells environmental and social disaster for the human race. Indeed, in all the stories we are confronted with the dichotomy of oppressors and oppressed in the style of Paulo Freire. The Christian missionaries on the Pacific islands exploit the natives in the most brutal fashion, capitalists in high places employ murderers to eliminate any citizens who are in a position to expose their crimes, and even the aged inmates of a residential home are bullied by the very staff employed to safeguard their welfare. The book concludes with the salutary warning that any society based upon these predatory principles will consume itself; humanity must transcend the tooth and claw world if it is to have a future. The political events of 2022 merely reinforce the wisdom of this message. My only slight disappointment was that Mitchell did not develop further his references to metempsychosis and the concept of the recurrence of history associated with the Stoic philosophers and Nietzsche. Read full review
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All David Mitchell's books are excellent, this was the first one I read. At times perplexing and confusing, you will soon find yourself trying to read faster to delve through the many layers.
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Awesome book.cant put it down.! I would recommend reading the book before watching the film which is also very good
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Highly imaginative and absorbing (long) read, although ultimately taking a depressing view of the human condition, taking you through the past, present and future of humanity.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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