And on I go with the series of journal stories or as I called it in my last post, the Monkey-Novel Chronology of evolution (I don’t know I was tired). I’m still not quite getting into this novel as much as I had with the past 3, but I am starting to relate to it a bit more. I don’t mean that I relate in the sense that I have experienced the same thing but the language is a lot easier to read. Also, I have to say that everytime the name Sixsmith comes up I think of Sixo and it sometimes confuses me.
Anyways, I did enjoy the Luisa Rey chapter since it was very mystery like and I thought I was trying to discover something. I am understanding a bit more of the connection between the stories or chapters since they following at least one string of the previous one. In terms of the character Luisa, she again showed me how easily it is for people to take on another identity. Even thought I wrote in my exploratory paper that people form false identities in order to gain attention, I don’t think that in the case of Luisa. She is simply trying to figure out the whole plant thing and get to the bottom of the Sixsmith murder.
And just for anyone that is still confused (mostly for me) I wiki’d the plot and here it is:
The book consists of six nested stories that take us from the remote South Pacific in the nineteenth century to the far future after a nuclear apocalypse. Each tale is revealed to be a story that is read (or watched) by the main character in the next.
The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing
Pacific Ocean, circa 1850. Adam Ewing, an American notary‘s account of a voyage home from the remote Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand. The next character discovers this story as a diary on his patron’s bookshelf.
Letters from Zedelghem
Zedelgem, Belgium, 1931. Robert Frobisher, a penniless young English musician, finds work as an amanuensis to a composer living in Belgium. This story is saved in the form of letters to his friend (and implied lover) Rufus Sixsmith, which the next character discovers after meeting Sixsmith.
Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery.
Buenas Yerbas, California, 1975. Luisa Rey, a journalist, investigates reports of corruption and murder at a nuclear power plant. The next character is sent this story in the mail, in the form of a manuscript for a novel .
The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish
United Kingdom, early 21st century. Timothy Cavendish, a vanity press publisher, flees the brothers of his gangster client. The next character watches a movie dramatisation of this story.
An Orison of Sonmi~451
Nea So Copros (Korea), dystopian near future. Sonmi~451, a genetically-engineered fabricant (clone) server at Papa Song’s diner, is interviewed before her execution after she rebels against the society that created and exploited her kind. The next character sees this story projected holographically in an “orison,” a futuristic recording device.
Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After
Hawaii, post-apocalyptic distant future. Zach’ry, a tribesman living a primitive life after most of humanity dies during “the fall,” is visited by Meronym, a member of the last remnants of technologically-advanced civilisation. This story is told when the protagonist is an old man, to seemingly random strangers around a camp-fire.
I apologize if this may have ruined the connecting bits of the novel for anyone, however, it might be quite necessary to see how the rest of the novel plays out.
nottheactress Said:
on October 29, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I’ve been to the wiki page so many times while reading this novel. I don’t know if I should admit that but it’s true. Something about spoilers makes this novel more enjoyable for me. I think it keeps me from feeling stupid and slow. Mitchell weaves his stories around a clueless reader, and sometimes I resent him for it.