The Bone Clocks

The maestro that brought us "Cloud Atlas" presents his newest showcase of the world in all its mystery with the new sci-fi fantasy adventure,"Bone Clocks." As per usual with David Mitchell, who is a "Man Booker Prize" favorite, things are curiouser and curiouser. But this time around, Mitchell is more in his of stream of consciousness voice, and less in his wonted adjective resonance.

"Bone Clocks," long-listed for the "Man Booker Prize" this year, takes the best parts of the Mitchell ilk and milks it: A series of almost-novellas chasing through time, reality and space, all somehow connected but not quite revealing the deep fibers that sew the whole together. The constituents of this six-piece puzzle interconnect through tiny droplets of thoughts, ideas and ideals left by each of his intriguing, yet familiar, characters.

We enter the excitement with Holly Skyes, a 15-year-old vagabond who is running from love and family -- she's at that point set in an apt 1984. Next, in 1991, we meet fetching Cambridge University student Hugo Lamb, complete with secrets he desperately wants to hide. Jump ahead, and Holly is back as our hero; leap ahead even further, and we're suddenly in full-blown fantasy futurism with Ireland (circa 2043) coming undone at the seams and heading to an almost primal human state.

As with all of Mitchell's novels his fascination with time, bending and manipulating it, is a crucial part of "Bone Clocks." Although more linear than say "Cloud Atlas," the new book leaves us, as did "Cloud Atlas," to question correlations. Things we sometimes unthinkingly assume are just coincidence and are endowed with a sense of awe, and perhaps even stupefaction that somehow everything in life is connected even when we cannot quite work out the labyrinth in which we are running around.

Mitchell is smart. He knows that as much as the fantasy parts of his book can enthrall and intrigue, what the world needs now, more than ever it seems, is a show of love. With chaos in Syria and Libya, not to mention the Gaza Strip, fantasy might not be on high alert; ordinary humaneness and a show of emotions to relate to, like love and disappointment, is more in demand. Mitchell delivers exactly that. Yes he takes us on these magical rides of pushing us into a future we may find ourselves in very soon considering the state of the globe, but he doesn't let you go swinging about on your own. He gently holds the string that's attached to a bobbing balloon. In "Bone Clocks," the beauty of characters' real experiences and genuine feelings are right there for us as readers to see, touch, and feel. Perhaps this simple task done so well equals a short list appearance on that "Man Booker Prize" for Mitchell.

"Bone Clocks"
David Mitchell
$18.00
Random House