And onto David Mitchell’s fifth book…
It’s certainly a change from his other books, being based in Japan at the end of the 18 Century at the Dutch East India Company’s island/trading post, Dejima.
When the Shoguns closed Japan to westerners they left Dejima as the only doorway into Japan for Europe’s trade, and it was the Dutch who ran Dejima.
The book centres around actual historical events, but names and dates are changed to allow David to weave his tale. And the tale takes us inside ancient Japanese nefarious occult beliefs and practices as we follow our protagonist and his love for a Japanese midwife who becomes entrapped within the cultists’ lair, all the while having to deal with the political machinations within the interplay between Dejima, Nagasaki and the Shogun in Edo.
Once more, a great piece of story telling from this incredible writer, and a also an incredibly interesting look inside the life and work of Dejima itself at a very interesting time in Japanese history. Well worth a read after you’ve read David’s first four books, but do expect something rather different.
And i’m now embroiled in David’s 6th book, The Bone Clocks, which is more in style with his first four books and i’m enjoying immensely. I’ll let you know what i think soon.
