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Why Ap?
Some teachers might not think that a sci-fi novel could possibly have literary merit but Cloud Atlas may cause them to reconsider their assumptions (in more than one way). This sci-fi novel is anything but typical, I had many expectations when I began reading this novel and David Mitchell threw them all out the window. There is no possible way to predict what might come next in this roller coaster of a read. I began this book thinking that it would take place on a boat in the 1800’s and since then it has jumped between time periods, locations and narrators without warning.
When Mrs. LaClair first introduced the blog assignment, I had a hard time deciding on a genre. I considered reading a play such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, a classic like Emma by Jane Austen, or the fantasy novel, American Gods by Neil Gaiman. By choosing Cloud Atlas, I didn’t have to commit to any single genre. Why choose when you can have, a 19th century journal from the Chatham Islands, a series of letters from a promising young composer to his lover, a film about a disgruntled  english publisher, a mystery/thriller manuscript, an interview in dystopian Korea, and the story that ties them all together in post-apocalyptic Hawaii? It’s hard to tell which version of reality is “real” and Cloud Atlas is pretty much turns into a more complicated version of The Matrix (the film adaptation is actually made by the producers of The Matrix).
I personally was not expecting a book that began with a 19th century voyage to end up in futuristic Korea. If you have not read this novel, I am guessing this may seem strange and unconnected. While it definitely is strange, these distant narratives are not unconnected. I really had no idea how David Mitchell was going to pull off this novel of stand alone stories until the final section. I could tell that he had a vision for these narratives and how they were connected but I have never been more surprised by the ending of a novel. Because all of these narratives are written with such drastically different styles, it seems impossible that one man created such an expansive and interconnected fictional universe. Up until the very end, I found myself wondering how this novel could possibly end back where it began. Because David Mitchell abandons all convention and challenges your expectations, the reader is able to believe that anything is possible. Everytime that you think that you know what is going on or where the plot is headed, Mitchell throws another curveball at you. I thought that I understood what I was reading for the most part until I got to the end of the novel and realized that I had it all wrong. I really feel like there is something for everyone in this exciting, (for the most part) multi-genre novel.
It all starts to come full circle when Robert Frobisher finds Adam Ewing’s Journal in Vyvyan Ayrs’ library, when Timothy Cavendish reads the manuscript of The First Luisa Rey Mystery, and when Sonmi watches a film about Timothy Cavendish. I was actually really upset upon learning that The First Luisa Rey manuscript was only a work of fiction within a work of fiction. I had a feeling that not all of these realities were genuine and I was really hoping that Luisa’s narrative was “real.” I found Luisa to be one of the most relatable characters and a very admirable person. As it turns out, her character was a little too good to be true. Throughout the majority of the novel I wondered which narrative was “real” and had to remind myself that all of these stories are fiction and none of it is “real” The only thing that makes a work of fiction real is that you connect with it on a personal level and I certainly connected with Luisa. However, if we know that Sixsmith is real, this leads to some very confusing questions… The whole comet-shaped birthmark thing also had me confused for a while. It’s all dizzyingly ambiguous but the author intended it to be that way.
So why should I listen to anything that these unreliable, made up and often dishonest narrators say? This question made me think back to Macbeth and his lines after the death of Lady Macbeth. Macbeth says that “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” (Sounds like nihilism to me). I think that these seemly unconnected pieces of literature are related because they are both just an act, a story told by an “idiot.” The heroes in each respective story are imperfect and yet we still draw meaning from both works. Macbeth or Adam Ewing may have more flaws than most but there is still much to be learned from them and connections to be made. They are above all human. I’ll go deeper into all this in my final post about the meaning of the work as a whole.
One of the major benefits of reading a multi-genre novel such as Cloud Atlas is that you are able to sample from many different genres and learn more about yourself as a reader. This is one of the major benefit of reading a multi-genre novel such as Cloud Atlas. For instance, I learned not to read a thriller where characters are being murdered before going to bed. Overall, I think that his book is very well suited to my reading style because I often get bored and stop reading a novel halfway through but with Cloud Atlas, this is impossible because you will suddenly find yourself reading an entirely different book than you began with. If I had to read five hundred pages from the perspective of Adam Ewing, I would be kicking myself right about now. Fortunately, if you are like me and dislike one of the narrators, there are five more options.
To get back to my title and main point, I think that Cloud Atlas could definitely be classified as having literary merit. When most people hear the words literary merit, they think “oh great, this is code for another boring book written by a dead, irrelevant, white guy.” While David Mitchell is a white guy, he isn’t dead and Cloud Atlas is far from boring or irrelevant. David Mitchell is a true visionary and writes beauty and skill. He breaks all of the rules but he breaks them so well that we can consider this merit. He has mastered a variety of different styles and artfully draws connections and meaning between distant narratives. It clearly took an incredible amount of planning, and organization to create this seamless body of work.
I have genuinely never read anything like this and I am astounded by Mitchell’s originality and creativity. His insights are not only wise but relevant to a myriad of issues facing the 21st century. His work has deep meaning and understanding of human nature, without being boring or detached. This is one of the biggest ways that Cloud Atlas proves it’s merit. Because each section of this novel is so different, anyone can find truth in this novel. What I love most about this novel is the variety of amazing characters. Anyone can relate to at least some of these characters and the difficulties they face on a human level.

I think that this novel definitely has literary merit and I would highly recommend it to anyone. All of this being said, I would not necessarily recommend this novel for a school assignment. I am hesitant to recommend this novel as school reading due to it’s daunting length. This has nothing to do with it’s merit or my personal opinion of the book. I have personally loved reading Cloud Atlas but I think that I may have been better off choosing a more manageable read for this particular course and assignment. I have had a wonderful experience reading Cloud Atlas but also a stressful one. Thanks for reading!
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