Quick Book Reviews Blog

Writing a good book is not only about making good characters, an interesting story and exploring some mysterious themes… it is also about how the events unfold and their connections to each other.  Take for example Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (yes, it has been made into a movie with Tom Hanks), a long narrative which touches upon the lives of six main characters. Each one of these characters has their own story, but in the end, as it usually happens, the stories intertwine in one way or another to make for a grand finale where all is revealed.

1799, Dejima, Nagasaki: The Japanese Empire only has a single port that keeps it open to the rest of the world, and one day a man by the name of Jacob de Zoet arrives there. His purpose? He has exactly five years to earn a fortune in the East and then come back to Holland in order to win the hand of his beloved fiancée.  Being only a young clerk, Jacob starts to try and scrape whatever money he can, hoping to climb the pyramid from bottom to top. However, he one day meets Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured wife of the magistrate.