Book Review | 'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet' by David Mitchell

In 1799, Jacob de Zoet disembarks on the tiny island of Dejima, the Dutch East India Company’s remotest trading post in a Japan otherwise closed to the outside world. A junior clerk, his task is to uncover evidence of the previous Chief Resident’s corruption.

Cold-shouldered by his compatriots, Jacob earns the trust of a local interpreter and, more dangerously, becomes intrigued by a rare woman—a midwife permitted to study on Dejima under the company physician. He cannot foresee how disastrously each will be betrayed by someone they trust, nor how intertwined and far-reaching the consequences.

Duplicity and integrity, love and lust, guilt and faith, cold murder and strange immortality stalk the stage in this enthralling novel, which brings to vivid life the ordinary—and extraordinary—people caught up in a tectonic shift between East and West.

I don't really know where to begin. From the start, I suppose. 

My first contact with David Mitchell's literature (or magical literary superhero powers if I'm honest with myself) came through the cinematographic adaptation of 'Cloud Atlas', a highly acclaimed novel by both the public and the critics. It had been turned into a movie by the Wachowskis that came and went without a second glance from either of those two indicators of media success and, therefore (and sadly), creative quality (as if). 

However, I loved the movie. The fact that my sister and I were completely alone in the theatre when we saw it was just the icing on an enticing, though-provoking, original cake. We couldn't take our eyes away from the screen, from the characters, from the look and the feel of it. It was a film that managed to mix historical fiction, sic-fi, thriller, action, romance, drama and humor within the time-span of just three hours. Amazing. 

Anyway, this is not the moment to vent to you all about this movie that still haunts my waking hours and has me thinking about it at all times. Back to business. 

So that's how I got into 'Cloud Atlas' and that's how I became addicted to Mitchell's words. They're haunting, vivid, strange, visible, tangible things that take a place in your heart and never abandon it. Never, ever. 

Not even the fact that I had watched the movie before reading the book tarnished its magnetism and beauty. Because that's what I've found Mitchell's writing to be, beautiful and magnetic. 

It took more than a month to finish this book. I'm usually a really fast reader, but exams tramped my reading-speed. I didn't mind it, though, because the story unravels itself in each page. It's slow, yes, but it blooms in such a way that you don't even realize how many things are happening and suddenly you've reached a cathartic point that has you holding your breath in suspense. 

It's subtle, filled with cunning metaphors and sensual imagery. That's one of the things I like the most about Mitchell's writing: he unravels a world we aren't supposed to know about in this book. The island of Dejima is almost like a secret place we're looking at through a keyhole, seeing glimpses of fleeting silk and forbidden relationships. You can go from rude sea wolf's jargon to faltering dialogue between the Dutch and the Japanese to delicate confessions sushed by the silent falling of soft snow. 

That's the best thing about this novel: you can see everything. Japan unwraps itself like a lover in dim light, letting you see its most intimate parts. It's a story that you enjoy in every possible way. It stimulates your imagination, your intelligence, your thirst for more. The fact that a maritime theme was predominant for a good part of the novel did it for me. I'm a sucker for maritime stories. Throw in a bit of scheming, economic and love interests, Japanese culture and colonial history, blend it all, and you have the perfect mix for a session of really, really good reading. 

And the characters. My.God. Mitchell is a master at creating characters. Well, Mitchell is a master of good writing. De Zoet is complex, full of angles and light and shadows. Uzaemon is mysterious and lovely and strong. And Aibagawa Orito is one of the best female characters I've ever found in modern literature. She hides multiple dimensions, holds herself with strength, and it's just so incredibly amazing and clever that I can't help but look up to her. And these are only the three main characters. Antagonists and supporting characters come and go without letting you know which are their intentions, embroidering a plot that connects perfectly at the end. 

I don't want to let you in in more of the plot, because it's best to dive in the story without knowing much about what's going to happen. It's a novel to be enjoyed quietly, with attention, because it contains so many details that you can get lost easily, and that's probably one of the bad things about it, but it is nothing compared to the satisfaction you get when you close the book after having finished it, knowing that you will think about this story for a long, long time. 

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5 stars out of 5 

☆☆☆☆☆

And you? Have you read this book? 
 What did you think about it?