The Bone Clocks

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell

The Bone Clocks chronicles the life of Holly Sykes from her rebellious teenage years to her days as a grandmother caring for her grandchildren. Holly is the main focus for parts one and six of the book. Parts two through five are told from the points of view of Hugo Lamb - short term boyfriend of Holly, Ed Brubeck - husband of Holly, Crispin Hershey - writer friend of Holly, and Marinus - psychiatrist of Holly, among other things.

There is a lot to this story and it requires an investment in time to read it. The speculative nature of the book is hinted at in the first parts of the book, but the characters are interesting and the prose so excellent, that one keeps reading almost without noticing. All is explained and the fantastical elements appear in Marinus' chapter - this book is the story of a war between the Horologists and the Anchorites, the good and bad sects of immortals.

The last chapter of the book is about Holly's life after the war of the immortals is over. It is scary, as this is such a plausible future for us all. I keep thinking about it. A book that stays with you, one that keeps its readers thinking, is the mark of great book. I would say that The Bone Clocks is the best book that I have read this year.