Number9dream

BookDe*ionNumber9Dreamistheinternationalliterarysensationfromawriterwithastonishingrangeandimaginativeenergy—anintoxicatingridethroughTokyo’sdarkunderworldsandtheevenmoremysteriouslandscapesofourcollectivedreams.DavidMitchellfollowshiseerilyprecocious,globe-stridingfirstnovel,Ghostwritten,withaworkthatisinitswayevenmoreambitious.Inoutwardform,Number9DreamisaDickensiancoming-of-agejourney:YoungdreamerEijiMiyake,fromremoteruralJapan,thrustoutonhisownbyhissister’sdeathandhismother’sbreakdown,comestoTokyoinpursuitofthefatherwhoabandonedhim.Stumblingaroundthisstrange,awesomecity,hetripsoverandcrosses—throughahiddendestinyorjustmonstrouslybadluck—anumberofitssecretpowercenters.Suddenly,theriddleofhisfather’sidentitybecomesjustoneoftheincreasinglyurgentquestionsEijimustanswer.Whyisthelinebetweentheworldofhisexperiencesandtheworldofhisdreamssoblurry?Whydosomanyhorriblethingskeephappeningtohim?Whatisitaboutthenumber9?Toanswerthesequestions,andultimatelytocometotermswithhisinheritance,Eijimustsomehowacquireaninsightintotheworkingsofhistoryandfatethatwouldberareinanyone,muchlessinaboyfromoutoftownwithapriceonhisheadandlessthanthecostofaBeatlesdisctohisname.Amazon.comDavidMitchell'ssecondnovel,Number9Dream,tellsthestoryofEijiMiyake,ayoungmannegotiatingahypermodernanddangerousTokyotomeetforthefirsttimehissecretiveandpowerfulfather.Na?veandfreshfromtheJapanesecountryside,Eijiencounterseveryobstacleimaginableinhisquest,fromhisfather's--andin-laws'--reluctancefortheencountertooccur(Eijiisthebastardson)tofieryentanglementswithyakuza(theJapanesemafia)totheoverwhelmingsizeandanonymityofTokyoitself.ThenoveliscartoonishinthatEijihasavividandviolentimaginationthatfillsthebookwithdaydreams.Whennotchain-smoking,forlornEijiwandersthecityfollowingvagueorcrypticleadsthatinvariablydead-endorlandhimbackamongyakuza.Mitchell(authorofthecriticallyacclaimedGhostwritten)hasasmart,eclecticwritingstylethatseemsforeign,andthenoveliswellpaced,buttheyakuzaencountersaretoocinematic,completewithunusualtortureandpyrotechnics.Moreover,inadditiontoEiji'sdaydreams,thelasthalfofthebookcontainsexcerptsfromthediariesofhisgreatuncle'sWorldWarIInavalheroicsandbizarreshortstoriesthatEijireadswhilehiding--thelatterofwhichmakefortediousreading.Number9Dreamiscraftedfromtoomanydisparatecomponents;itdoesnotseemtobeafullexpression,butanoverlycrowdedone.ReaderswillsympathizewithEijiandhissearch,butintheendwillwonderwhateffect,ifany,alltheextraneousforceshadonhim.Thebookprovidesmanyfunmoments,butultimatelyitdoesn'treallyadduptothesumofitsparts.--MichaelFerchFromPublishersWeeklyAyoungJapaneseman'squesttofindhisestrangedparentsthrowshimintoabizarreworldofmobsters,dreamvillainsandcyber-trickstersinMitchell'ssecondnovel(afterGhostwritten),ahyperactive,erraticsprawlofabookthatbeginswhennarratorEijiMiyakefindshimselfoutonhisownafterhistwinsister,Anju,dies:hisalcoholicmotherhadhadanervousbreakdownandlefthertwochildrenwiththeirgrandmotherwhentheywereveryyoung,andtheyhavenevermettheirfather.MiyakemakesthemovefromruralJapantoTokyotostakeoutthecompanywherehisfatherisapowerfulexecutive.Buthissearchlandshiminanebulousyetdangerousgameofcat-and-mousewithanequallypowerfulJapanesemobsterwhousesMiyake'sneedtofindhisparentstokidnapandthreatenhiminaseriesofmalevolentandnearlyinexplicablescenes.ThemostcoherentsequenceinthenarrativetakesplacewhenMiyakeiscontactedbyhisgrandfather,aformerseamanwhogivesMiyakehisdiary,apoignantaccountofhisstintonasubmarineinthefinaldaysofWWII,astheJapanesefranticallyscrambledtodeployanewunderseawarhead.Miyakeeventuallymanagestomeethisparents,butthosepotentiallyaffectingscenesareoverwhelmedandovershadowedbyMitchell'srelentlesstendencytospinoutfuturistic,over-the-topscenariosinwhichMiyakeiswhiskedawayintostrangesettingsandthenabusedasifheweretheheroinadeadlyvideogame.Mitchellshowedconsiderablepromiseinhishighlyacclaimeddebut,buthissophomoreeffortissochaoticthatitwilltesteventhemostdiligentanddevotedreader.(Feb.26)Forecast:RavereviewsfromtheBritishpress,aBookerPrizenominationandafive-cityauthortourwillgivethischallengingnovelaneededboost.FromLibraryJournalHiroshimaresidentMitchell'sstartlingandoriginaldebut,Ghostwritten,tookplaceallovertheglobe.ButhissecondworklandsfirmlyinJapan,whereayoungboylooksforthefatherwhodenieshisexistence.FromBooklist*StarredReview*Twenty-year-oldEijiMiyakecomestoTokyofromruralJapan,hauntedbytheghostofhistwinsisteranddriventodiscoverasinglesecret:Whoistheirfather?AchanceencounterplungeshimintothenightmarishworldoftheYakuza(JapaneseMafia),whomayjusttellhimtheanswerifhecanlivelongenough.Mitchell'sstunningsecondnovelismanythings,allofthemwonderful:aliterarytalethatplumbsRaymondChandler,anexplorationoftheurbanmindscape,awide-eyedlookattheworldthat'snotafraidtoaskbigquestions.AsMiyakewondersifheisdefinedonlybyhisquest,theauthoruseshisprotagonistasameanstoexplorethepowerofwords,theroleofdreams,andthenatureofreality.Mitchell,wholivesinHiroshima,seemstograbboththemythologyandthemodernpatoisofhisadoptedcountryandwriteswithavoicethatisbothtimelessandurgentlyofthemoment.Flexinghisconsiderablestylisticmuscle,heplayswithformwhilehewingtruetoatightlyplottedtalethatpullsyoualong,wonderingwhereitwillallend--that,andwhatalltheBeatlesreferencesmean.Thisisaterrificbook.KeirGraffFromTheNewYorkerMitchell'snewnovelhasbeendescribedasacrossbetweenDonDeLilloandWilliamGibson,andalthoughthat'saperfectlyserviceablecocktail-partyformula,itdoesn'tdojusticetothisodd,fitfullycompellingwork.EijiMiyake,theyoungprotagonist,leaveshisruralJapanesehomeandtravelstoTokyotofindthefatherwhoabandonedhimyearsbefore.WhatbeginsasafairlystraightforwardfilialquestsoondevolvesintoakaleidoscopicadventurefilledwithJapanesemobstersandincreasinglybaroquefuturisticscenarios.Whatisevenmorealarming,Eijidoesnotalwaysmaintainafirmgrasponreality.Mitchell'spyrotechnicsareneverlessthaninteresting,buttheyareoftenlessthansatisfying;giddywiththefantasticalpossibilitiesofhisnarrative,hesometimesforgetshisresponsibilitytohisreaders.BookDimension:length:(cm)19.5width:(cm)12.8