The Thousand Autumns
of Jacob de Zoet
by David Mitchell
Seeing a brilliant and respected author stretch himself in a fresh direction and take a leap into unknown territory is likely more scary for us than for him. Such is the case with David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green. He now ventures into 16th-century Japan. Young Dutch clerk Jacob de Zoet seeks his fortune in the island world Dejima, the farthest outpost of the Dutch East India Company. The innocent soon finds himself awash in intrigue, devices, and desires he cannot understand and a wealth of characters that both excite and overwhelm him. Mitchell’s astounding command of the language and culture of this world draws us in. We see the young clerk struggle with forces he cannot grasp as his intentions shift and he is changed by this exotic world. Is he observer or participant?
All of this plays out against the unfolding of the Edo period when Japan began its move into modernity. Mitchell creates for us an exotic, fully formed world based on historical fact with precision, imagination, and complete command of his ability. This book will likely be one of the year’s major fiction titles, appealing especially to those who enjoyed such titles as The Piano Tuner and the works of Kazuo Ishiguro and Michel Ondaatje. |
