With Fredrik Backman, I read and unexpectedly loved a book about hockey. With David Mitchell, I read and unexpectedly loved a book about a psychedelicWith Fredrik Backman, I read and unexpectedly loved a book about hockey. With David Mitchell, I read and unexpectedly loved a book about a psychedelic band. The authors are different — but they both love their characters. They present honest humanity, and they take care of characters (even outside of traditional happy endings).
Mitchell is especially brilliant at weaving characters through a full universe in books. This is a multi-layered timetravel, and I love it. In particular, this book was just so fun to read.
Beyond characters and poetry and philosophy — Mitchell is a master of apt and interesting description. I’ll read everything he writes. ...more
Really, really well-written. Every character feels full, even when they’re background; even when you suspect it’s a veiled account. The small arcs in Really, really well-written. Every character feels full, even when they’re background; even when you suspect it’s a veiled account. The small arcs in this story are so strong and so interesting, you don’t even look too hard for themes (but they’re there). Solitude, genius, public and private life, writing of the time....more
Brief, sparse, and almost flat observations and thoughts of an early middle-aged woman — that fill in a life, between the things we typically note as Brief, sparse, and almost flat observations and thoughts of an early middle-aged woman — that fill in a life, between the things we typically note as plot points. Climate-change unease, political unease, living for a long time near addiction, interacting with new people and with people who are so familiar with us — the dailyness, the small changes that might add up or might not?
But, to confirm: pleasing to read. Interesting footnote website at the end. ...more
This book starts at the beginning of interaction between two characters. But it's a time travel book, so there are other first encounters later. It's This book starts at the beginning of interaction between two characters. But it's a time travel book, so there are other first encounters later. It's a book in which the reader steps into the sci-fi context in-the-moment, without a lot of explaining. Some things eventually coalesce through pattern and word-choice, but you can also sort of let go of understanding the world while you delight in the interaction between characters (via pattern and word-choice). So: this book is, in parts: confusing, brutal, sheepish, surprising, nature-sweet, and existentially romantic. And at one point, I laughed out loud -- entirely surprised and delighted by an unexpected pun.
I found it a delight to read.
If you're impatient and/or very linear -- maybe don't read it....more
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