Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas is sort of six stories in one and spans hundreds of years. It starts with the diary of Adam Ewing, an American who has travelled to the Chatham Islands near New Zealand. The letters of Robert Frobisher to Rufus Sixsmith follow this, an Englishman who has been disowned by his father so travelled to Belgium to study under now-disabled musician Vyvyan Ayrs. The text becomes a chaptered story of Luisa Rey. She is an American journalist who, after meeting Rufus Sixsmith, discovers that a power plant are planning to open up despite the fact that the site is unsafe. Investigative journalism can be a dangerous business. Next a monologue. Timothy Cavendish is a publicist who has just hit the big time because one of his clients, Dermot Hoggins, has murdered a critic. Hoggins’ brothers want a share of the money but Cavendish doesn’t have it. He goes on the run and ends up trapped in an old people’s home. We are then propelled into the future where there are robotic human clones who do everything for us. One of them, Sonmi-451, is in prison being interviewed as she’s had the gall to rebel against the norm. With the help of the Union rebels she has become a functioning human. The final part takes place after the apocalypse where nothing is safe anymore. An army is out killing everyone and Zachry has to live with this constant threat.

Although it sounds complicated, all the stories are linked together so it makes sense as you work your way through the stories. The order of the book is Adam, Robert, Louisa, Timothy, Sonmi-451, Zachry, Sonmi-451, Timothy, Louisa, Robert, Adam. To begin with I thought this was a bit odd but because the book takes place over such a long period of time, having that sequence keeps you connected to all the characters. Not all of the characters are likable but you know you’ll be moving on before too long. The style of each story helps differentiate between all the main characters and who the minor characters are in each story. Each main character is so different from the last that it is enjoyable to explore the personality of each person. Some find themselves in peril by accident but others are born into this scary world.

The book is well written and keeps your attention throughout. Some of the stories are left on cliff-hangers until you get to the next part. As long as this is the only book you are reading at the time and you have the time to read it on consecutive days, rather than leaving weeks in between reading, you can pretty much remember where it left off and so join back in with the narrative. Had this been his first book I’m not sure anyone would have gone for it, but as he is an established writer, people trust him to resolve it adequately. Some characters it would be interesting to know how they spent the rest of their lives. But in a way that’s not really the point and you do get some clues in the second half of their tales, or in the next tale in the timeline.

I wouldn’t say that this book is a light read although it does draw you in. I suppose it’s more a comment on the human condition. In general, people are the same, have been and will continue to be. It’s all about survival of the fittest. In our case, the fittest is the person who has power over others either in money or knowledge. There is also that humans like to be in control of their surroundings and their lives. None of our main characters are really in control of their lives and it’s how they react to this, given what control they do have, that is interesting. And at the end of the day, you just have to make the best of what you’ve got.

I would recommend this book although I don’t think it’s to everyone’s taste. David Mitchell knows how to write and I will try and read more of his books in the future. I did try and read this book once before. I don’t think I was in a reading mood particularly and so gave up fairly quickly. Reading it this time I was up for an epic story and that was exactly what I got. The book starts in the middle of Adam’s trip to the Chatham Islands. I had to Google the Islands. Having found out they were real and where abouts they were I felt more engaged with the book and once I’d started I couldn’t put it down! Some of the future scenes were a bit tricky to picture but I think that’s more my problem than the author’s lack of skill.

Overall rating 5 out of 5.