I can't even tell you how much I adored this book. Part of it was the anticipation of reading another David Mitchell book, part of it was the fact that Mr. Mitchell and I (and his protagonist) are of an age, and part of it is Mitchell's sheer brilliance as a writer.

This book has a very simple premise -- it is a year (1982) in the life of 13-year-old Jason Taylor, a sensitive yet quite ordinary boy who lives in the back of beyond, Worcestershire. Each chapter of the book is a month in Jason's life, and is told entirely from his perspective.

You will fall in love with Jason. You will feel everything he feels as he works to overcome a speech disorder, experiences his sister leaving home for college, and deals with the extreme highs and lows of just being 13 (among other things that I don't want to spoil). You will sigh with disappointment when the book ends.

There really is very little else to say about this book. For those of you who read Cloud Atlas, you already know that David Mitchell has a way with words. And yes, I'm understating, but as miraculous as that book was, this one might even be better because of the relatively ordinary subject matter.