THE BONE CLOCKS by David Mitchell
Holly didn’t expect her mother to find out about Vinny so soon. She knew that her mother wouldn’t approve of an older boyfriend or the late nights that Holly spent with him. But Holly is in love, and she isn’t about to let her mother get in the way. After a quick goodbye to her little brother, Jacko, Holly packs her things and storms out of the house only to discover that Vinny has already moved on to someone new. Furious, heartbroken, and far too embarrassed to go home, Holly starts walking away from London with no real plan of where she’s headed. But she hasn’t gone far when her bizarre past catches up with her. Memories of the voices she used to hear in her head as a child, encounters with seemingly psychic strangers, nightmarish visions, and a horrific double murder launch Holly on a lifetime journey with a cast of immortal heroes and villains that was scripted long ago.
I’m not sure whether it is more appropriate to categorize this novel as fantasy or science fiction, but its style and appeal is definitely in the realm of sci-fi. Beginning in our past and ending in our future, the story unfolds slowly over Holly’s lifetime with each chapter occurring decades after the last and from the point of view of a character whose connection to Holly is not always immediately apparent. Part of the appeal of the novel comes from this puzzle of a storytelling style. The actual plot of the immortal good and evil is slow to unfold (as is befitting a story about characters who have lived for centuries and could live for centuries more), and as a result, the first two-thirds of the book read more as realistic fiction than science fiction. But the first chapter’s teasers and the characters themselves were interesting enough to keep me engaged through the 700 page novel, and I was impressed at how Mitchell created a distinct voice for each character’s first person chapter. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy weighty philosophical sci-fi and character driven novels.
Susan the Librarian 