Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell, 4 Stars

[Sara]

Like a set of matroyshka dolls, Mitchell has crafted a series of linked stories nested inside each, creating a novel unlike any other I have read. He starts with an American notary aboard a ship returning from Australlia in the 1800s. This tale ended abruptly, mid-sentence, and begin anew with the story of a disinherited English musician. This format is continued three more times before we finally get a complete story set in the distant future of a post-apocalyptic world. Following the conclusion of this story we are treated, in reverse, to the end of the other five stories, so that the structure of the novel looks something like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

I admit that this format comes across as pretentious. If it had been done by a writer with less skill, it never could have worked. However, Mitchell handled it adeptly, deftly moving from historical fiction, epistolary, thriller, humor, dystopia, and post-apocolyptic with both male and female narrators. I was genuinely interested in each story, and found that despite not being an avid reader of humor or thrillers, those were the two stories I liked best, with the exception of the post-apocolyptic. Mitchell hid little Easter Eggs in each story that referenced back to the previous story. A mention of the American's journal, or a search for copies of the musician's compositions. It connected the stories in such a fashion that they didn't feel entirely like a random experiment in genre and form.

That said there were flaws. I felt that the reincarnation theme that ran throughout was gimicky and really didn't work. Especially the bit about the comet shaped birthmark they all seemed to have, including the genetically engineered clone Sonmi. Its biggest flaw however was in its treatment of women. While you could see a clear progression in the treatment of the races, from the first story where the New Zealand natives were clearly third class members of the populace to the sixth in which the most advanced members of society were dark-skinned while the whites had devolved to war-like tribes, his treatment of women was problematic. Women start their lives as chattel, and even in the most futuristic version of the world, women are still good for not much more than cooking a meal and sex. This really bothered me. If he can tackle racism so adroitly, there is no reason that sexism could not receive equal treatment

I listened to it on audio, and the audio recording was one of the best I have listened to. Each story was provided a seperate narrator, which helped me follow along with the abrupt changes. This may have been more difficult to read in print for that reason, but I imagine there are also advantages. If I were to reread, which is unlikely even though I think that this book would benefit from one, I would do so in print.

Despite its flaws, I thought this was a very good novel. It is not one I would recommend to everyone though. You have to enjoy experimental literature and short stories to get anything from this book. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by Mitchell in the future.

[Nicole R]

I am so torn on this one! Everyone who has read it has great things to say about it, but I just don't know if I can get on board.

I read The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and it about killed me, and consensus points to that being a more manageable Mitchell book.

[Anita]

Great review! I have been anxiously awaiting it. Very interesting points about racism and sexism that I didn't even pick up on! I was so caught up in the structure and interlinking of the stories, I feel as though I overlooked other key components.

Nicole, I would be shocked if you actually liked this one. Floored actually.

[Nicole R]

Anita wrote: "Nicole, I would be shocked if you actually liked this one. Floored actually. ..."

I think that is enough to keep me firmly away from it!

[Ladyslott]

I've gone back and forth on this book for a long time. I loved The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and I recently read Slade House and enjoyed enough to want to get to The Bone Clocks and possibly this one. I don't mind books that are outside the norm and your review makes me want to read this book. But I own The Bone Clocks so that will probably be the next book of his I pick up.

[Jen]

Sara wrote: "Women start their lives as chattel, and even in the most futuristic version of the world, women are still good for not much more than cooking a meal and sex. This really bothered me. If he can tackle racism so adroitly, there is no reason that sexism could not receive equal treatment

Interesting and very different from how I perceive his works. I actually find him to be very sensitive to issues of women and power and while I think he highlights how women are treated in negative ways in some of his stories, he also creates very strong female characters -- Holly Sikes in Bone Clouds for example. I've also read an interview where he talked about the importance of creating strong women protagonists.

I read Cloud Atlas when it first came out so I can't speak to treatment of women in that book because I don't remember enough to speak in an informed way. I do remember that I didn't have that reaction and I'm usually very sensitive to that in books (being someone who specialized in gender studies in graduate school). Your review makes me want to go back and read it again.

[Sara]

Of his two stories that featured women as the main characters you have Louisa Rey and Sonmi. I don't think either was treated particularly fairly. Meronym in Sloosha's Crossing seemed to be the only woman with any real power of her own, and that seemed more about her race than her gender. In all the other stories it read to me like the women were used as characters to fulfill the men's lust. And when there weren't women around there was the raping of young and presumably weaker men.

Luisa, while she was willing to keep going after the story and pretty strongly refused the musician at the beginning, had to keep being rescued by men. Not exactly the strong feminist that Mitchell tried to portray her.

Sonmi was never anything more than a pawn who was immediately handed over to the authorities once her purpose was served. The random sex scene didn't even make sense. It felt like he tossed it in there just because he could, or thought he should.

I don't expect an author to address all social ills in their books, but in this one it felt like a topic that should have been handled a bit better. I am not sure he was even attempting to address racism either, but the fact of the matter is that he did touch on the subject, no matter how inadvertantly. It wasn't exactly subtle, so I don't think he could have missed it. So by that standard I would think he would notice how unevenhandedly (I don't think that's a word) he treated women, especially if he makes a point of creating strong female characters.

I am not sure I explained any of this very well. Let me know if it is as rambling and nonsensical as I think it is.

[Sara]

Linda wrote: "I've gone back and forth on this book for a long time. I loved The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and I recently read Slade House and enjoyed enough to want to get..."

I have owned Thousand Autumns for years, so I really need to get to it.

[Jen]

Not rambling at all. I can see where you are coming from and why you would think that way. I've always felt that bad things happen to his characters whether male or female and that his female characters are often the moral compasses in his stories and the threads that tie things together. I can definitely see what you mean about somni. I've seen Luisa pop up elsewhere so perhaps I'm influenced by that in that I've always perceived her to be strong character.

I'll pay more attention in future books.