#29 Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell

 




Booker Prize: Shortlisted 2004

Plot Time and Place: 19th century, 1931, 1975, early 21st century, 22nd century, distant future; Chatham Islands, Belgium, California, Britain, Korea, Hawaii

Opening sentence: "Beyond the Indian hamlet, upon a forlorn strand, I happened on a trail of recent footprints."

Plot summary:  An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. The book consists of 6 nested stories; each is read or observed by the protagonist of the next, progressing in time through the central sixth story.

Review:  I don't understand how this didn't win the Booker. It's absolutely brilliant, mind-bending, exhilarating, and thought-provoking.

Rating:  5/5











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