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Lovely, but "Yet what is the world but a multitude of stories?" is it a multitude, or lots of interconnected ones?

Great review, Vit. Cloud Atlas remains forever one of my favorite books!

It's a trippy stuff!

Yes, enjoyable stuff!

The watermelon analogy fits this story perfectly. Brilliant. Thanks, Vit.

Thank you, Layse!

The world certainly does need stories!
The section you quoted from was my favourite part of this book because it reminded me of Riddley Walker, a book that proves how much people need stories.

Fionnuala wrote: "... The section you quoted from was my favourite part of this book because it reminded me of Riddley Walker..."

Yep, and Mitchell acknowledges the inspiration:

Cecily, thanks for that Guardian article on David Mitchell being inspired by 'Riddley Walker' for the language used in the middle story in Cloud Atlas. I'll see if I can manage 'Riddley Walker', it might be too much for a Dutch reader!

Riddley Walker is much, much harder than the section of Cloud Atlas. It's not really a serious attempt at a plausible future English, but it's certainly a more thoroughgoing effort than Mitchell's, which is pretty superficial. In fact, in Riddley Walker the difficulty is squared: as well as the language, there's also a very stream-of-consciousness style, including some middle chapters that are seriously opaque.

That said, if you speak both English and Dutch (i.e. a recognisably related non-English), you may be better at reading it than a lot of monolingual English speakers...

Thanks, Wastrel! That sounds intriguing, you might be right, sounds plausible that I could somehow read that lingo easily enough. Makes me curious! Indeed, I had no trouble reading the primitive language story in 'Cloud Atlas' but, then again, couldn't possibly read the Booker Prize winner of a few years ago with the Jamaican dialect (I think the title was: A History of Seven Killings, but I can't look it up right now).

After the first few pages, RW becomes easier to read, Hanneke. You learn Riddley's lingo very quickly. Having a map of Kent nearby for the place names helps because they are quite distorted in Riddleyspeak.
Knowing a little history helps too.

Thanks, Fionnuala! It actually sounds like a book I would enjoy very much!

Hanneke wrote: "I'll see if I can manage 'Riddley Walker', it might be too much for a Dutch reader!..."

I replied to your comment on my Riddley Walker review (/review/show...?) in more detail, but Wastrel is right, it's harder than the bit of Cloud Atlas. Try reading a page or two aloud on Amazon "Look inside".

It's an interesting discussion. I've got used to language of Riddley Walker soon enough. The novel boasts the weirdest entourage however. The book should be read by all the aficionados of intellectual literature.

Thanks so much for your suggestion, Cecily! I'll look at it in the morning. What a good idea!

Hanneke wrote: "Thanks, Wastrel! That sounds intriguing, you might be right, sounds plausible that I could somehow read that lingo easily enough. Makes me curious! Indeed, I had no trouble reading the primitive la..."

Hanneke wrote: "Cecily, thanks for that Guardian article on David Mitchell being inspired by 'Riddley Walker' for the language used in the middle story in Cloud Atlas. I'll see if I can manage 'Riddley Walker', it..."

I loved Riddley Walker - but it WAS a slog. I think it reads easier if you combine it with a drinking game! There are also a number of excellent online study guides that help you with not just the language, but all the cultural and historical references Hoban weaves into the story.

And while I didn't particularly enjoy the book, Robert Harris' recent The Second Sleep takes place in a post-apocalypse future just about halfway between today and Riddley, (i.e., about 800 years in the future), if you want to see how we actually end up in Hoban's "inland."

Philip, thanks! What drinking game did you have in mind? Can you indeed combine that with reading the novel?
I'll check out 'The Second Sleep' of Robert Harris. I never did read any novels of him anymore since his first ones. Sounds interesting!

Haha - I lived in Taiwan for a long time, where they turn everything into a drinking game - so the possibilities are endless. Maybe take a sip or shot of your favorite whenever you read a sentence that you can't interpret - and then read it again! The alcohol may add a new level of clarity :) Especially if you're a bedtime reader - you might not understand it all, but at least you'll sleep well!

Hah, yes, I saw those drinking games in movies! I sometimes read late into the night, but never in bed. I find it so awkard reading in bed, never have the patience!

Saw David Mitchell speak once at a festival.
A very engaging speaker and it was fascinating when he explained that he thinks of himself as a short story writer who loves the idea of trap doors and bridges between stories, that then become a cohesive whole. I personally loved Boneclocks as well.
Enjoyed your review Vit :)

Thank you, Richard. Yes, almost all his novels are like concatenations of wonderful stories.

Richard, now you are mentioning that Mitchell thinks of himself as a short story writer, I remember he said that too here at a lecture in Amsterdam. And that is certainly true. The stories in his novels seem to be stuck together in a long string, but in a most brilliant way. That is, of course, overly evident with Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten. I am so looking forward to see a new Mitchell novel!

Hanneke wrote: "Richard, now you are mentioning that Mitchell thinks of himself as a short story writer, I remember he said that too here at a lecture in Amsterdam. And that is certainly true. The stories in his n..."

Hi Hanneke and Vit ............. yes, really looking forward to his next book!
Another thing I remember from the book event was him being asked, in the Q&A section, whether he approved of the massive trend in popular books for young people ie the Twilight books, Hunger Games, Harry Potter etc (the questioner was obviously very critical of this type of book!).
Mitchell however, said that he loved the idea of young people discovering a love of books through these fantasy novels as he recognised that these young people were his future readers! Very down to earth and refreshing :)

Isn't that true, Richard! As long as young people will pick up a book, it doesn't matter what they read, as long as they read. Just think of yourself at age 11 or 12, I would have certainly loved Harry Potter, I am sure! Other books will be discovered when proceeding to be a teenager who likes to read. Personally, I had the luck of having teachers in high school, introducing me to all kinds of wonderful books and writers. Hopefully, that is still happening in high schools.

Gorgeous review, Vit. For some reason, I've never been tempted to try Mitchell.

Thanks, my friends. It was my grandfather who turned me to books. I hate the majority of books they made me read at school. First book I had read was Robinson Crusoe.

My all time favourite book, glad you enjoyed it!

I've started this book so many times. Really need to finish it one day...your review prompts me to try again.

I am glad that my students read books like Twilight, Oz, Harry Potter, Wicked, etc then they transition to more “adult�� books. Books are books. I am so happy to see my secondary students reading anything! On that note better to see them reading than glued to their phones!

The main thing is to make children read. Reading changes the way of thinking.