What an interesting book. I’ve seen people call it a “proto-Cloud Atlas” and that rings true for me as well. It’s not as refined but the idea is there, not to mention so many references to other Mitchell books it makes me dizzy.

There are 9 stories (10 chapters but first and last is the same character) in this one. A more unwieldy beast, to be sure. I won’t recount all of them because there is so much that happens. But know that each is a short story that references the previous one. We globe trot, enter many different lives. A young man at a record store who falls for a girl visiting, and their situation, which wraps up in a subsequent chapter; a cult member indoctrinated into terrorist; broke womanizer who seems to be a marble tossed, hitting both good and bad luck. Different people, different locations, but the same eternal struggle for what they need, want, crave, etc. the trappings of humanity that defines them being sought.

Some win, some lose.

As with short stories for me, some spoke to me more so than others. The referential aspects to each story did make me engage with the ones I didn’t care about more though, so that is successful. It feels thematically not very cogent, however. Feeling more preoccupied with its structure and notions for a particular story than a really exciting unifying concept.

Where Cloud Atlas benefits from the refinement of voice and the better structure, in which each novellas builds to a climax and then cascades downward to the end.

Yet this is far from unsatisfying. I liked the leap frog narrative and really, really loved how it tied in with so much other stuff; most especially the meta component. I really liked it, but much prefer Mitchell’s longer form novella formats than short stories. But I also rarely enjoy short story collections, so it could easily be a subjective component that will allow some readers to enjoy it more than me.

Now, be warned, I want to talk spoilers here.
In the future id like to be able to remember the ties to other books so want to get the things I saw down, and then if I re read it in the future, add to it.

First of all, it was soooo exciting to build anticipation with each book from Bone Clocks on to this one, as this sort of describes a bird of an atemporal being that, presumably, becomes a horologist. I wish I knew which one—and am almost certain it would have been referenced in the Bone Clocks when they speak of their past lives. That whole chapter was really, really cool.

There is also the comet that passes by and that is a symbol in Cloud Atlas in birth mark form, marking a reincarnated soul. But interestingly, Luisa Rey calls into a radio program and is already a journalist, so I may just be conflating that with the movie and not the book? Perhaps in the book the characters don’t have the mark… or perhaps the mark is a reference but bares no meaning, or a different meaning I was unable to discern here with that chapter with the A.I and atemporal person, presumably the horologist from their chapter. Who knows?

Also noticed, of course, Tim Cavindish, the publisher, which was neat. And Neal Brose and I THINK a man with the same last name of another kid in Black Swan Green. But nothing important there, just fun.

Suhbataar, from the next book, Number9Dream plays a fairly major role, and as I documented, this takes place in Mongolia, I believe, so that does feel like the 9Dream chapter is from an atemporal person, possibly the one in this book? Who the F is it though?

Dwight Silverhand, a published author here, is mentioned in Bone Clocks, but I think as a crock?

And finally Mo Muntervary I’ve highlighted because it rings a bell, and is in Ireland. I imagine that’s in the Bone Clocks in some way, as that has a lot of chapters set there. Maybe she’s the one who ends up with our heroine?… can’t recall.

Anyway, way more connections than most books (that I’ve noticed). Loved it. Very cool.