Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I don't think I would have ever come across this book if it weren't selected by one of the members of my book club. If you've been following this blog at all, you've probably noticed that I can get a little obsessed with structure. (To be perfectly honest, I didn't realize it myself until I started writing about it so much.) Well, this one definitely takes the cake on structure. If you're going to read just one book this year, I think this should be the one.

I don't want to give away what's going on in the story at all. Let's just say that it is an oddly complete history, unique in it's structure, and the only book I've ever picked up that deserved the jacket cover quote of being "ambitious." In fact, ambitious is the best word for what Mitchell manages to do. This book was unanimously loved in the book club, but I should point out that the start is a little rough as you try to figure out what the story is about. Push through, because it's completely worth it.

Finally, I'm always interested in what such works inspire in other artists: writers, painters, filmmakers, etc. One of the women in our group is a painter and printmaker. She said that she spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of cover she would design for a book such as this, but felt that the idea she came up with was impossible to actually produce. In a way, I wonder if Mitchell ever felt like this as he began writing this book. Either way, what seemed impossible he accomplished with astounding results.