David Mitchell has lived an enviable life. Born in Merseyside, raised in Worcestershire, and graduating from the University of Kent, Mitchell had already started moving from place to place. He went on to live in Sicily, Italy before moving to Hiroshima, Japan where he apparently found his niche as a writer. He has since written six successful novels and has been listed by TIME magazine in 2007 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The latest of these novels to appear in paperback is The Bone Clocks. Long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2014, it has already made its mark, adding to Mitchell's reputation as a respectable and admirable author.
The plot is rather like Mitchell's life in that it goes from place to place, following the life of Holly Sykes. Starting in 1984 when Holly is only fifteen years old, it begins from her point of view as she storms out of her home to live with her boyfriend, only to find out that he is cheating on her. Refusing to admit that her mother was right, she decides to stay away from home for at least a few days, with devastating consequences. Her little brother Jacko goes missing, with everyone believing he went in search of his sister, including Holly who blames herself for his disappearance. However, there is more that lies beneath the surface; Holly begins to have visions of another world in which a promise to an old woman could come back to haunt her and there are hints that Jacko could be involved.
The story then skips seven years ahead to what appears to be a whole new story. We meet Hugo Lamb, an intelligent but pretentious student at the University of Cambridge. He is devious and repugnant, deceiving even his friends whilst thinking only of himself. During a skiing holiday to the French Alps, he meets Holly Sykes, and he falls in love, something he has never felt before. It would seem it starts to change him for the better, until he is given a life-changing decision that is impossible to refuse, a decision possibly linked to the other world Holly herself has glimpsed. Following this, there is yet another jump in time to 2004, in which Ed Brubeck becomes the focus of Mitchell's writing. Ed has a little girl with Holly but is struggling to accept his responsibility as a father, being a self-confessed "war-zone junkie" since his role as a war reporter.He finds himself having to choose between returning to Baghdad where his life will be in constant danger or staying with his family. We can only assume his decision before the narrative switches AGAIN to Crispin Hershey, an author who at first appears more detestable than Hugo Lamb but who becomes one of Holly's closest friends, meeting her in Australia before travelling to Shanghai and Iceland with her to book events as she herself as become a famous author.
The next switch in narrative is where the story truly continues from where Holly's narrative left off. We finally learn about the other world and the war that is occurring between the Horologists and the Anchorites. This is in 2025, when the final battle takes place, in which Holly joins the Horologists on their quest against the evil Anchorites. I will not reveal the outcome of this battle, partly because I still do not know the whole of it despite finishing the book, and the final section of the book comes full circle back to Holly. She is now an old woman living in Ireland in 2043, in a world that has become damaged by global warming and the lack of oil. It feels as though David Mitchell is using the end of this book as a lecture to those who take unlimited electricity, food, water and internet for granted. It is a lecture to those who are not attempting to cut back on their luxuries to save the planet, and it is a warning of what could happen if we choose not to; a possibility of the world our grandchildren will live in.
For me, The Bone Clocks is too many different things. Mitchell could have written at least five books from all the stories that are happening throughout each section. Unfortunately, most of them seem to play no major part in the actual story The Bone Clocks is about. The Horologists and the Anchorites barely appear at all until you are two-thirds through the book, and it is all thrown at you at once. This particular part reminds me of Intruders, a BBC drama last year starring John Simm, a programme I found genuinely interesting, and if Mitchell had stuck to the war between the two kinds I would be praising this book for its imaginative plot and viewing it almost as an adult version of Harry Potter. Instead, I am dismissing it as an excuse for Mitchell to show off his vast knowledge on a variety of subjects, and to perhaps share his views on conservationism. There lies politics amongst the fantasy Mitchell is writing, and it seems to ruin what could have been an addictive novel. Too much of the book seems pointless and most of it could have been cut entirely. It is incredibly disappointing. There were so many times that Mitchell enticed me in, only to change the subject in the next section.
For those looking to read The Bone Clocks simply because it is a bestseller at the moment or in the Waterstones Book Club, think twice. Reading this novel requires patience, and I was glad when I reached the last page, a rarity for me as I usually miss the characters and the story. However, rather than being intrigued by the unanswered questions, I was annoyed and felt as though my time had been wasted. Do not waste yours.
The story then skips seven years ahead to what appears to be a whole new story. We meet Hugo Lamb, an intelligent but pretentious student at the University of Cambridge. He is devious and repugnant, deceiving even his friends whilst thinking only of himself. During a skiing holiday to the French Alps, he meets Holly Sykes, and he falls in love, something he has never felt before. It would seem it starts to change him for the better, until he is given a life-changing decision that is impossible to refuse, a decision possibly linked to the other world Holly herself has glimpsed. Following this, there is yet another jump in time to 2004, in which Ed Brubeck becomes the focus of Mitchell's writing. Ed has a little girl with Holly but is struggling to accept his responsibility as a father, being a self-confessed "war-zone junkie" since his role as a war reporter.He finds himself having to choose between returning to Baghdad where his life will be in constant danger or staying with his family. We can only assume his decision before the narrative switches AGAIN to Crispin Hershey, an author who at first appears more detestable than Hugo Lamb but who becomes one of Holly's closest friends, meeting her in Australia before travelling to Shanghai and Iceland with her to book events as she herself as become a famous author.
The next switch in narrative is where the story truly continues from where Holly's narrative left off. We finally learn about the other world and the war that is occurring between the Horologists and the Anchorites. This is in 2025, when the final battle takes place, in which Holly joins the Horologists on their quest against the evil Anchorites. I will not reveal the outcome of this battle, partly because I still do not know the whole of it despite finishing the book, and the final section of the book comes full circle back to Holly. She is now an old woman living in Ireland in 2043, in a world that has become damaged by global warming and the lack of oil. It feels as though David Mitchell is using the end of this book as a lecture to those who take unlimited electricity, food, water and internet for granted. It is a lecture to those who are not attempting to cut back on their luxuries to save the planet, and it is a warning of what could happen if we choose not to; a possibility of the world our grandchildren will live in.
For me, The Bone Clocks is too many different things. Mitchell could have written at least five books from all the stories that are happening throughout each section. Unfortunately, most of them seem to play no major part in the actual story The Bone Clocks is about. The Horologists and the Anchorites barely appear at all until you are two-thirds through the book, and it is all thrown at you at once. This particular part reminds me of Intruders, a BBC drama last year starring John Simm, a programme I found genuinely interesting, and if Mitchell had stuck to the war between the two kinds I would be praising this book for its imaginative plot and viewing it almost as an adult version of Harry Potter. Instead, I am dismissing it as an excuse for Mitchell to show off his vast knowledge on a variety of subjects, and to perhaps share his views on conservationism. There lies politics amongst the fantasy Mitchell is writing, and it seems to ruin what could have been an addictive novel. Too much of the book seems pointless and most of it could have been cut entirely. It is incredibly disappointing. There were so many times that Mitchell enticed me in, only to change the subject in the next section.
For those looking to read The Bone Clocks simply because it is a bestseller at the moment or in the Waterstones Book Club, think twice. Reading this novel requires patience, and I was glad when I reached the last page, a rarity for me as I usually miss the characters and the story. However, rather than being intrigued by the unanswered questions, I was annoyed and felt as though my time had been wasted. Do not waste yours.
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