Hello all,
So the second book in my Challenge 2020 is a book that was gifted to me as a part of my Secret Santa gift at work. The person gave it to me as they viewed this as their favourite book and they wanted to share that with another lover of books, me. Essentially what I’m doing to all you lovely followers!
“It is so much simpler to bury reality than it is to dispose of dreams.” – Don Delillo, Americana
Number 9 Dream is about a twenty-year-old called Eiji Miyake who has arrived in Tokyo with one single goal…to find his father who he has never met.
“It is a simple matter. I know your name, and you knew mine, once upon a time. Eiji Miyake…I am in Tokyo to find my father.”
From the city’s underworld, video arcades and lost property, this is a journey that isn’t plain sailing. No, this is a journey that takes us from reality to the realms of dreams and nightmares. But it’s not long before Eiji’s idealistic dreams of Tokyo are revealed as just that…Tokyo isn’t the place of dreams he once thought it was.
“Tokyo is so close up you cannot always see it.”
But until Eiji has fallen in love and rid himself from the demons of his past then everything he craves will always be tantalisingly out of reach.
“A black-and-white day gone by. This is the closest we get. Stars.”
There’s an end to every journey and Eiji must learn this on his own accord and understand it.
“Fear is not necessarily a weakness.”
In all honesty, this novel isn’t one I would have picked for myself but that’s why I was excited to read it, because this is new to me. I wouldn’t attribute it as a coming of age novel…perhaps more science fiction in places, where we must discover the meaning we find in this book and unravel all the layers of meaning that Mitchell has left in our wake. But in all honesty, this isn’t a book I would be reading again in a hurry. It confuses you and I found I sometimes had to read a section twice before figuring out what was going on. It’s quite a fast paced novel, where everything comes and go’s.
“Death gives me a choice.”
This novel is based around imagination and how we attribute the meaning, after all, David Mitchell was inspired by John Lennon.
“All we are is our memories.”
I implore you all to find the meaning of this novel, your own meaning.
“Reality is the page. Life is the word.”
Happy reading everyone! Check out Number 9 Dream if you fancy an escape from your everyday life!
“#9dream’ is a descendant of ‘Norwegian Wood’ curses you with loneliness. The ‘two spirits dancing so strange’ in ‘#9dream’ bless you with harmony. But people prefer loneliness to harmony…The ninth dream begins after every ending.”
Until our next read on Challenge 2020,
Keep reading,
D x
I do like David Mitchell, but haven’t read this one yet: it sounds great. And what a lovely Secret Santa work colleague! I never get anything other than a bottle of wine- and I dont drink!
This is the first book of his that i’ve read! I know, I was totally chuffed! I did get some wine too, haha! Oh no that’s no fair! I hope you get better ones in the future!