The Filipino Group discussion

In nine corners of the globe, nine characters from an art thief in Saint Petersburg to a terrorist in Okinawa hurtle towards a shared destiny, oblivious of the intriguing ways their lives intersect and influence each other. From this dazzlingly original novel of love, metaphysics, history, politics and ghosts emerges an unforgettable vision of our common humanity.

*****

Reading Plan: One chapter a day, for a total of nine. Please join us if you are interested! :D

Sayang, kung 1001 or 501 ito, I will join. I have the copy pa naman. Marami na kasi akong binabasa na wala sa quest ko eh. Next time, I will join you :)

Fourth Mitchell book ko na ito. Yung Jacob de Zoet babasahin din namin this year, pati mga Ishiguro books (The Unconsoled at An Artist of the Floating World).

Babasahin ko lahat (as in all) ang lahat ng Ishiguro books sa July! So help me God! hak hak

Ikaw na rin magmoderate, you want? :D

Weee! Mitchell reading buddies talaga kayo. :) I hope to be able to read a Mitchell book one day. Which book should I start first?

(Sorry for the troll post, haha)

Hahaha, okay lang iyan. Hmm, I started with Cloud Atlas, so pwede na rin doon. Para ma exprience mo agad yung thrill ng writing niya.

Kapag nakahanap ka na ng The Poisonwood Bible, ibuddy read natin siya! :D

Lynai: I agree with Angus. But don't buy CLOUD ATLAS brand new. Marami na akong nakikita sa BS na copies for either P115 or P75.

Angus: POISONWOOD is nice. Kingsolver is a trained botanist so may kung anu-anong halaman na binabanggit sa libro nya hak hak

I've been seeing Cloud Atlas in Booksale but I'll wait until the price goes below a P100. Haha, ako na ang kuripot! :D

Yes to buddy reading The Poisonwood Bible. Again, I'll let you know if I find a copy for less than a hundred bucks. Haha!

I understand, Lynai. Ganyang talaga ang nagi-start mag build ng family. Please let me know if you want me to send you these books. I think I used to have an extra copy of Poisonwood. Di ko na lang sure ngayon. Pero kung may mahanap ako dito including Cloud Atlas, gusto mo iship ko sa iyo through LBC? Wedding gift ko na sa yo hak hak.

K.D. wrote: "I understand, Lynai. Ganyang talaga ang nagi-start mag build ng family. Please let me know if you want me to send you these books. I think I used to have an extra copy of Poisonwood. Di ko na lang ..."

Oh, that is too gracious of you, K.D. May utang pako sa yo for the Pilgrim's Progress, remember? But then again, to refuse an offer is an insult, and I wouldn't dare to insult a very good friend. Heehee... ;)

Good. I will be on the lookout from now on. Hak hak.

K.D. wrote: "Good. I will be on the lookout from now on. Hak hak."

Thank you, K.D. You are so kind. I hope you find your extra copy of Poisonwood para di ka na bumili pa. I'll text you if ever I get to see Cloud Atlas at an agreeable price here para di na ma duplicate. :D

Oh, thread is up! (Hindi kasi masipag magbuklat, hehe!)

Please join us, guys! :D

I'm pretty sure I have this book lying around here somewhere. I meant to read it a long time ago but never got to it and then it got buried under piles of stuff. If I manage to find it by the 25th, I'll join you guys, if that's okay with everyone. :)

Okinawa

First, a disclaimer. I am trying my best to read this not as a Mitchell fan. Any fangirling that you may notice should not be blamed on that fact but solely on the talent of Mitchell as a novelist.

Okay, so we read about a software engineer turned cult member who perpetrates a gas attack at a train station. This chapter can stand as a story of its own. This is a novel in nine parts, right? I wonder now how the parts will connect to each other. Will the main characters of each part be related to each other? It's too early to make assumptions.

I like that part about Tokunaga staring at the gurgling baby before he activated the uhm, gas machine. Whenever a baby stares at me and smiles, my heart swells with happiness. I try to always give my nonvicious smile back to every baby that does that to me. There's something curious and trusting in a baby's face, and it makes me so mad that Tokunaga, blinded by his faith to His Serendipity, still pursued his terrorist attack.

But I think he is redeemed in the end. His code name is Quasar, right? The clouds blotting out the stars one by one foreshadows the end of the cult (a quasar is not really a star but a luminous galactic object). There will be a typhoon ahead, but I hope that Tokunaga can start anew in that little island after the weather disturbance blows over.

Hi Mae, please let us know if you found your copy. :D

Day 1: OKINAWA

My initial thought about this chapter was, uh-oh, is David Mitchell writing sci-fi? I blame it on the alpha rays and the gamma emissions and, well our (current) protagonist's code name itself: QUASAR. As I read on, however, my feelings turned from wonder to utter disbelief. His Serendipity? Sacred Revelations? "Unclean"? I was like, seriously?

And then I found myself getting amused at Quasar's and his fellow members' stupidity - that they allowed themselves to be beguiled by this leader comporting himself to be their "Guru" (uh, imbibing his sperm???). I thought of how the so-called "leaders" of so-called religious sects inveigle people into parting with their money and properties under the context of religion and giving them salvation. When it finally dawned on me that the mission of "The Fellowship" and its member was actually all about terrorism, I got scared, especially knowing how terrorist attacks are real.

That thin woman at the inn where Quasar/Tokunaga had been staying, the one who looked at him directly in the eye and said something about why members of The Fellowship were allowing themselves to be brainwashed. I wonder who she is?

BUDDY: I can't detach myself from the fact that I am reading this as a fan. I just can't. Haha!

I love his writing. I love how he writes. And this is just the first chapter!

But I think he is redeemed in the end.

Ah, but he has finally surrendered, giving himself in voluntarily when he thought he was being captured!

Buddy: The imbibing part is very disgusting. It might not be if it were done sexually (like if this were a gay novel or has a gay sex scene), but doing it out of what? Blind devotion? It's just gross. It's like touching random dog crap on the streets. Okay enough!

I also wonder about that woman. She's a teacher, right? And I like how she described the society. I forget the descriptions now, hehe. I don't have my book with me.

His "surrender" is a realization that His Serendipity is not what he thought he was, the Savior of mankind. It must be sad, but I sort of empathized with him. It's like his world has crumbled and he has to start again. So much for all the imbibed sperm.

BUDDY: Of all the weird practices of "The Fellowship", the sperm-imbibing seems to be the one that has the strongest recall. Haha! Yes, so much for that. :)

The thin woman was a teacher, yes. Is Quasar/Tokunaga also a teacher? Because he mentioned something about a samurai legacy, so I thought that was what he is: a samurai.

Yay! Found it! This is my first time participating in a buddy read, though, so I'm not sure exactly how this works. Please bear with me as I feel my way through this. :)

OKINAWA

This is my first Mitchell novel. I've had this book as well as Cloud Atlas for years now but never got around to reading them. Now that I've read this first part of Ghostwritten, I can't believe I waited this long to read it because I thought it was really good.

As I understand from synopsis, this is made up of nine interlinked narratives. I really enjoy reading books like this because I love the "AHA!" moment I get as I read along and discover clues and links. But I digress...

I found the whole Okinawa chapter quite unsettling. There's something about cults that really gives me the creeps. Initially, I though Quasar/Tokunaga was past the point of redemption and his mind already warped too much, since he believes His Serendipity talks through him via spiders and dogs and that higher members of his "family" can teleport and levitate and all that. In the end, though, I feel as though there's still that small part of him that wanted to be free from all that.

Four things I'll be on the lookout for in the next chapters: the comet, the apostate Mayumi Aoi, the lady in the Kumejima inn, and the Fellowship Secret Service/encoded message.

Love this book so far, can't wait to read more.

Way to go, Mae! You just post your thoughts, reactions, opinions, etc. on the chapter that we are on (just like your post above). We can't go wrong with this.

I think you are quite lucky because you are starting your Mitchell journey with his first novel. Cloud Atlas can come later, and oh, try to move it up your reading list because there will be a film adaptation soon. :D

Tokyo

A half-Filipino as the protagonist on this part? Isn't that cool? I'd like to think that the Philippines has a place in Mitchell's heart since this is the third novel where our country is mentioned (no mention was made in Black Swan Green).

So buddies, if ever Mitchell visits the Philippines for a book signing...

Anyway, this is quite a departure from the previous part in terms of mood. If that one is about some hopeless terrorist who realizes that his idol is a scumbag, then this one is about a hopeful artsy nineteen-year-old who finds love, and possibly the beginning of a more promising life, in the disc shop where he works. This is a likable story, and by that I mean it can be appreciated by most readers.

It gives us good descriptions of cherry blossoms that I think are more than just props in the story. I like how Satoru said that the cherry blossom can only be perfect right before the moment it falls off the branch.

It has also just the right amount of mushiness. I didn't get most of the references to jazz music though because I am not into it, but I don't really mind. There are descriptions accompanying most of the music mentioned here (like the sound of wind ruffling the waters).

I just got a little confused when Codename Quasar/Tokunaga/Kensui (?) called. Somebody promised to send him money, right? Or did he just hallucinate talking to somebody? (Apparently, he did since Satoru just hanged up. Unless there are more cult members who carry the same codename...)

Day 2: TOKYO

I am starting my notes today with this quote:

But seriously... well, love has got to be based on knowledge, hasn't it? You have to know someone intimately to be able to love them. So love at first sight is a contradiction in terms. Unless in that first sight there's some sort of mystical gigabyte downloading of information from one mind into the other.

The beginning of the passage is deep, sentimental and romantic... and then there goes the comedic and sarcastic clincher. My heart just flows with fangirl love for Mitchell. Haha!

In this chapter we are introduced to Satoru, a 19-year-old half-Japanese, half-Filipino student who works at a collector's items CD store in Tokyo owned by philandering Takeshi. [At this juncture, may I just say that the only thing I'm finding difficult to keep track of is the Japanese names. Gaaaaah!] Satoru, for his age, is quite sentimental, isn't he? I love when he spoke of everyone's "inner places" - and how his "inner place" comes into existence with jazz, with music and the sounds, in that music store. Reading about Satoru's story makes me want to pull him out from the book and give him a big hug.

There's a mention of a "quasar" in the beginning of this chapter: She pulsed, invisibly, like a quasar. The reference to Quasar/Tokunaga in Okinawa isn't apparent, though.

The quasar of this chapter, of course, was Tomoyo, who at the end disproves the statement made by Takeshi's spurned ex-wife about never making life decisions based upon feelings for a particular person. On this score, I completely agree with the young lovers. I mean, what about love? Isn't anything sacred anymore?

AND there goes the connection between Quasar/Tokunaga and Satoru. I had been wondering about that phone call when Quasar made it, but knew that it must be another bogus aspect of The Fellowship. Funny to know, though, that the call went through to a downtown music/CD store in Tokyo with a clueless teenager receiving it. :D

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MAE: Hi there! I think I understand what you said about that "unsettling" feeling - they give me the creeps, too! If I had the power to read minds, I would just love to know what's going on in their heads. :)

So far, so good! I hope you keep up with our reading plan, David Mitchell is just one awesome writer. Heehee. :D

BUDDY: If Mitchell visits the Philippines, I will move heaven and earth to get ALL my books signed, to have my picture taken with him, AND to have a conversation with him! Oh gahd! :))

I like how Satoru said that the cherry blossom can only be perfect right before the moment it falls off the branch.

I have always longed to see actual cherry blossoms, and to visit Japan as well. When I do, I'm going to bottle those blossoms and bring them home to you. :D

I just got a little confused when Codename Quasar/Tokunaga/Kensui (?) called. Somebody promised to send him money, right? Or did he just hallucinate talking to somebody? (Apparently, he did since Satoru just hanged up. Unless there are more cult members who carry the same codename...)

No one promised to send money, I think. He didn't hear anyone answer or hallucinate that someone did, because he was instructed that when he places that one final call, no one would answer from the other line. It was sort of a pre-arranged call with encoded messages, that when a member dials that secret number and says the secret message, it would automatically mean that member who called is is need of funds. :)

Tokyo

This part was rather lovely, very different in mood compared to the previous part. I found myself smiling the entire time I was reading it.

I loved the whole vintage feel of the Tokyo part - the record store, the cherry blossoms, the music, especially the way things unfolded for Satoru and Tomoyo.

I feel for Satoru and his need to stay with the record store despite being presented with an opportunity to work in what I imagine would be a job with higher pay and more opportunities for career advancement. I don't think it's laziness or complacency on his part. Maybe I'm projecting, but I feel that at this point in his life, the record store is where he needs to be. And he's perfectly okay with that.

I was thrilled by all the jazz references. I grew up listening to Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong so it's always a treat for me when they get mentioned in stories.

There's the link! It turns out, the number Quasar called (thinking it was the Fellowship Secret Service) was the number for the record store. I already had a feeling that there was no secret service but I found it funny that they used the number for a record store. Did they just pick a random number or did they specifically choose that number?

This part gave me lots of happy vibes. Now I'm off to listen to some Fitzgerald while having my afternoon coffee. :)

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ANGUS: I heard about the Cloud Atlas movie. I'll be sure to read the book before it comes out.

ATTY. MONIQUE: I loved that quote as well. I love everything I've read so far. By the end of this book, I may be a fangirl as well. :)

Buddy: Thanks for the clarification! So Quasar only assumed that his distress signal was received by the silent recipient on the other line?

Mae: Nice! I am not a jazz listener, but I think I know how you feel about your favorite musicians being referenced.

Hong Kong

This is a little rowdy. You know that something is raising the stress levels of the lead character here thanks to all the profanity, the dirty house, the lack of motivation to work, and the choppy narrative. And one would not even think that Neal Brose, the lead, is a big shot financial lawyer.

So he separated with his wife because of the ghost? Kidding. The ghost is both a presence and a metaphor here. When Katy, his wife, first realized that the ghost is too real to lock them out of their own apartment, that's when their marriage started to disintegrate. What other things have been haunting the two? Their sterile marriage (Is it Neal?)?

I think it's right to say that it is at this part where the title is lifted. There's something about ghosts being in the background and never making it to the foreground because that would make them real persons. The characters, so far, are in the backgrounds of each others' stories, making them ghosts, hence, ghostwritten?

Speaking of background characters, our Satoru and Tomoyo made their appearance at the restaurant (share a seat and win a friend) and it's very interesting to note that the two had a very huge impact on Neal. He kept wondering about them, right?

Ultimately, this novel must be about love?

And oh, have you noticed that someone is being blown at the nape (or someone is blowing another's nape, like Satoru to Tomoyo)?

Day 3: Hong Kong
[I miss that place. :( ]

Okay, this was one chapter that I practically devoured from start to finish, without getting up even once from where I conveniently sat. Here we have Neal Brose: British corporate lawyer/expat, soon-to-be divorcee, sterile but full of libido for his Chinese maid, and on the brink of losing it. Don't you love how Mitchell can write effortlessly from the point of view of such a wasted man, as though it were the man himself who was actually writing it? I mean, this was just one chapter, and already I was raving to my husband about Mitchell's talent, just like I did when I was reading Cloud Atlas!

Strangely, among the stories so far narrated - Tokunaga's, Satoru's, and Neal's - it is the last one, for me, that seems to have packed a wallop. Maybe it's the fucked up way that Neal's life turned out, or the fact that he's been making one big fucked up decision right after the other, creating a wasted, fucked up man in him, that oddly bothered me. Was he so jaded that he had sex with his maid every chance he got, or he was just too horny for his own good?

His separation from Katy. Was it his fault that he didn't want to move because of the skyrocketing rents elsewhere, or was Katy too unreasonable for demanding it? I mean, she believed Mrs. Feng that the ghost of the little girl didn't want her to have kids, right? I was incredulous that, for a Londoner who (I presume) isn't raised in superstition, Katy would believe a word of Mrs. Feng's bullsh*t.

I loved how Satoru and Tomoyo appeared or were mentioned several times in Neal's chapter. They are the personifications of Love, aren't they?

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BUDDY:
The ghost is both a presence and a metaphor here.

and

The characters, so far, are in the backgrounds of each others' stories, making them ghosts, hence, ghostwritten?

In reaction to this, I loved this particular passage (so many passages to love when it's Mitchell we're reading!):

For the last few months I've been living with three women. One was a ghost, who is now a woman. One was a woman, who is now a ghost. One is a ghost, and always will be. But this isn't a ghost story: the ghost is in the background, where she has to be. If she was in the foreground she'd be a person.

Yes, I thought about who was which, and it was so, so perfect. :)

Ultimately, this novel must be about love?

Remains to be seen, I think. So far, this is how I would assign sub-titles to the 3 chapters we've read:

Okinawa - Redemption
Tokyo - Inner Places
Hong Kong - Fuck Ghosts

And oh, have you noticed that someone is being blown at the nape (or someone is blowing another's nape, like Satoru to Tomoyo)?

Oh yes, now that you mention it. That was first line of Quasar's chapter - "Who was blowing on the nape of my neck?" - and then Satoru does it to Tomoyo, and then finally, Neal was feeling the same thing as he went up to the mountain, just before he jumped to his death. Hm. What do you think this nape-blowing thing is?

Dibaaa?! He's such a versatile writer! From a sentimental 19-year old saxophonist to a wasted thirty-something lawyer. Just imagine the shift. I even got a little disoriented because I've never seen too many fucks in a Mitchell book.

I think the nape-blowing thing could be just one of the little things that Mitchell adds to his keep readers looking for details that link one to the other (like the comet-shaped birthmarks in Cloud Atlas). It gives the novel a sense of cohesiveness.

Katy is for sentiments while Neal is for convenience. I think their expectations did not meet, and neither of them was ready to make a compromise. Oh, I really can't tell, I'm not good with relationships and marriages (cue: Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart, hahaha!)

I completely agree with everything you just said, Buddy. And here I am taking out my iPod to listen to Alicia Keys again, haha! :P

Hong Kong

The was very jittery and you just can feel the tension rising with each turn of the page. It's disjointed because Neal himself is disjointed, and he realizes towards the end that this is the reason why his life was so messed up.

Or is it not a a question of cause and effect, but a question of wholeness?
I'm this person, I'm this person, I'm that person, I'm that person too.
No wonder it's all such a fucking mess. I divided up my possible futures, put them into separate accounts, and now they're all spent.

His life is so highly segmented that slowly loses control over everyone of them. He kept referring to his Rolex. When he finally takes it off and leaves it on the nose of the dragon by the fountain, he felt fabulous, immortal. He realized where he went wrong.

Hey, at least he figured it out before he died.

He kept coming back to Satoru and Tomoyo, seemingly fixated. There's a ghost in Neal's story, but I think Satoru and Tomoyo haunt him even more than that little girl in the apartment. I loved this passage, by the way:

You never see them coming. They lurk in the overlooked and undusted places. They grow to huge proportions, and all along you don't even dream about them, not in their true form. And then one day a chance meeting happens, a glimpse of that you didn't know you wanted, and a latch is raised.

He was haunted by their love. Also by their simplicity, perhaps? He must have seen something in Satoru to make him want to seek answers from him.

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ANGUS:
The characters, so far, are in the backgrounds of each others' stories, making them ghosts, hence, ghostwritten?

I think you may be on to something there. I'm beginning to feel that the main point of the book is to illustrate that our lives relate to everybody else's, even that of perfect strangers that we may or may not meet. That we are unknowingly affected by events that we are not directly involved in.

ATTY MONIQUE:
Neal was feeling the same thing as he went up to the mountain, just before he jumped to his death. Hm. What do you think this nape-blowing thing is?

Neal kept mentioning a certain "She" towards the end of his mountain trek. Aside from that nape-blowing thing, there was that bit in the end ("She comes through the wall of legs and torsos.") Who/what do guys think "She" was?


PS. Palagi na lang ako nala-late. Akala ko early ako today. Haha! :))

MAE:
He must have seen something in Satoru to make him want to seek answers from him.

I think Satoru and Tomoyo represented what was lacking in Neal's life, and that is Love. That's why, Angus mentioned something about the novel's recurring theme being Love. Maybe, Neal saw in Satoru and Tomoyo what he and Katy was before everything started going downhill in their relationship. :)

Neal kept mentioning a certain "She" towards the end of his mountain trek. Aside from that nape-blowing thing, there was that bit in the end ("She comes through the wall of legs and torsos.") Who/what do guys think "She" was?

I think this is the little girl's ghost, the one that supposedly haunts their apartment. :)

Mae: Hindi ka pa naman late, you're on time! Lunch time pa lang. Ako kasi, una kong ginagawa ang mag Goodreads sa office kaya medyo maaga ako magpost, hahaha! And nice bit about the Rolex! I merely thought he was done with materialism when he didn't bother to get it back from the dragon's nose. :D

Angus wrote: "Mae: Hindi ka pa naman late, you're on time! Lunch time pa lang. Ako kasi, una kong ginagawa ang mag Goodreads sa office kaya medyo maaga ako magpost, hahaha! "

Ditto, haha! As soon as I fix myself my first a cup of coffee, first thing I do is log on to Goodreads and write down my thoughts if I'm doing a buddy read. I read the assigned chapters the night before, so my thoughts are usually still fresh and coherent in the mornings. I try my best to preserve that coherence. (Kaya kung hindi man coherent ang sinusulat ko rito, eh, pagpasensyahan na ang tumatanda. Haha!)

My brain isn't exactly fully operational in the morning. But I try. :P

Just a random mababaw thought on that nape-blowing thing: Isn't that what people say when they sense ghosts? Like there's a tingling at the backs of their necks? Or the hair on the backs of their necks stands on end? Something like that. Wala lang.

I just have to say that I am finding Mitchell's writing so brilliant, to think I'm only 3 chapters in. He's done 3 different voices that are so distinct and nuanced. Feeling ko after this, I'll be reading the rest of his books one after the other.

Holy Mountain

This is the first story that has a distant past in them. The first three are recent or even occurring at the present time. Holy Mountain is about a woman telling her tale from her youth to her death.

Entwined with this tale is China's communist history. Imagine the contrast of the woman's peaceful life at the mountain and the turbulent times during Zedong's regime. Now that I think of it, I don't remember what the name of this old woman is.

And I also don't remember any nape-blowing. Was I not paying enough attention?

Anyway, I honestly don't know what this part is about. It's one of those stories that you like without really being sure why. But stories can be interpreted differently, right? The message that it sent me is that with inner peace, the human spirit cannot be defeated. You see, the woman spends most of her life on the mountain, running the Tea Shack and having the Tree as her sole companion. She is alone, and one can get crazy with indefinite loneliness. She may be lonely, but she is at peace. Never mind the conversations with the Tree; I love those, by the way.

I also like how her granddaughter, the Chinese maid that Neal slept with, is shown here not as a dominatrix but as a woman who's doing what she can to keep her family away from hunger. I almost thought that it would be Neal who would appear here, or Neal's spirit. But when I read that the daughter moved to Hong Kong, I threw my Neal Notions away.

If you check the first pages of the novel, there's a quote from Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I've read that slim yet beautiful novel; it's about five people who cross the bridge that collapses while they are on it. The theme of our lives being accidental and being connected with each other's is reminiscent in this novel. I've also read somewhere that Mitchell cites Wilder as one of his influences. Nice to know info. :D

Day 4: Holy Mountain

Violence, revolution, retribution. I think these words sum up this chapter.

I love the fact that this chapter spans generations, and that there's a bit of Chinese history in it as well. It's too late (is it?) to acquaint myself with Chinese history, particularly the Communist regime, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, so I just relied on what little I know about them. I tried Googling a bit on the Red Guards and Mao Zedong, though, and will you guys just take a look at this madness:
Smash The Old World

When a foreigner came up the mountain with a local guide, I thought it was Neal, during one of his outings abroad. But then the foreigner mentions that he's from Italy, so there. I kept checking the last few pages of the chapter and began to feel alarmed when I was on the last 2 pages and there isn't any "connection" yet... and then, the granddaughter appears. When it was mentioned somewhere in the narrative that our protagonist's daughter escaped to Hong Kong, I already had an inkling that she might be Neal's maid, but I couldn't know for sure. And then it turns out that it would be the granddaughter who was feeling Neal up. There you go.

I felt so strongly for our unnamed protagonist, for everything that she was made to go through in her life. There was a part in the story when she was speaking to a monk, and she asked him why unfortunate things keep befalling her and her Tea Shack, when she's done nothing bad, she hasn't aggrieved anyone in her life, she only wants to serve tea and noodles. And I felt her indignation, her frustration at how life dealt her those cards. I did not relate to her, no, but I sympathized and felt the injustice of it all.

And she was amazing, wasn't she? When she was face to face with General Brain, that was all that she did by way of revenge: talk. Well, considering her old age, I don't think she could've done anything else, but still. I thought she was an amazing woman who died at peace with herself.

Okay, the only thing I didn't quite get is this: the Tree? It's five trees in one? It bore almonds, quinces, apples, persimmons, and hazelnuts? I think I completely missed something here.

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BUDDY: I think I also missed some nape-blowing here. But there was mention of that comet, the one that Quasar/Tokunaga also spoke about in the first chapter.

She has no name, I think. I could hardly remember anyone calling her by a name. Even her daughter didn't have a name.

True, true, this chapter showed how beautiful and strong the human spirit is. But, I thought the conversations with the Tree was weird. Haha! :D

I will check The Bridge of San Luis Rey as soon as I can. For some reason, the title reminds of that actual bridge that connects the mainland (Buenas Yerbas, California) to the small island housing the nuclear power plant in Cloud Atlas, in Luisa Rey's chapter, Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery. Remember that? :)

MAE: We will not dispute you on that - David Mitchell is simply awesome. :)

Buddy: Luisa Rey is indeed named after the novel. I didn't notice it at first, but when Mitchell admitted it, I realized that Wilder is really a strong influence on him. If I only knew, I should have just given you my extra copy of it (late ko na rin kasi nalaman na fan si Mitchell ni Wilder). I gave it to Mavic, but she isn't showing any sign of reacquainting with us.

BUDDY: Aw. No worries, I'll check out the local bookstores na lang muna. :)

Holy Mountain

This was my favorite among the 4 parts I've read so far. I found this part so powerful and moving and so beautifully written.

It was a Chinese history lesson with heart. There were also elements of fantasy thrown into the mix - spirits, dreams, conversations with a Tree (tree spirit, perhaps?) that bears five different fruits - much like the mystical nature typical of holy and sacred places. Reminded me of our very own Mount Banahaw, actually. (It's more fun in the Philippines, yes? Hehe.)

I was amazed and moved by the protagonist's resilience and strength of character. She didn't have an easy life, that's for sure. But she remained steadfast, kept picking herself up, kept rebuilding the Tea Shack every time it gets destroyed. She was never resentful, never questioned her faith, and was always kind. That's just... wow.

She lived in that little Tea Shack her whole life but has never really gone up to the summit until she was old, and not even for herself but so that her father's soul can move on to the next life after he dies. She went up there expecting to see the temple but, lo and behold, the summit has been Disneyfied turned into an Ayala mall commercialized! That part holds true for a lot of historical and sacred places around the world, don't you think?

That monk who invited her into the temple? I wanted to give him a huge hug. In the end, kindness begets kindness. It was really nice to see someone looking out for her.

Neal's maid makes an appearance. She said she "inherited" money from her employer. Methinks she stole that bag of money he hid in house. Lola senses this, but the fact that she came matters more than the lie. I think so, too. It was comforting that she died with family nearby. I liked that.

I was expecting a nape-blowing reference as well, but didn't catch any. I did catch the comet reference. There was also a part where the "New Earth" was mentioned and, if I'm not mistaken, Quasar kept talking about the New Earth that will emerge once the comet cleanses the world, or something like that. Interesting.

-----------------------------

ANGUS:
Will definitely check out The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Sounds interesting.

ATTY MONIQUE:
I don't quite get the part about the tree bearing 5 kinds of fruit, either. The was quite an emphasis on the Tree being some kind of protector and that made sense to me, but then it suddenly "bore children" and I got all confused.

Buddy, Mae: I think the Tree bearing five fruits is an element of the fantasy embedded in the story. And have you noticed this: in the early part of the story, the woman, in her youth, saw the spirit of an old lady humming the only lullaby she knows, and then when she got old, she saw a small girl (a spirit?) and hummed the same lullaby to her. Now that got me confused. Is this to say that life is cyclical. Isn't that a Buddhist belief?

BUDDY: Wait, I'll backtrack a bit. I'll check on that part because it didn't make an impact on me enough to remember it. And I don't know about life being a cycle, but I think Buddhists believe in reincarnation or rebirth. Don't they?

On the other hand, this is what I DO remember. I meant to ask this also but forgot: Remember that part about when our protagonist, in her old age, decided to just have a portion of her Tea Shack rented out to transients? There was a time when she had a foreigner and a local family - man, woman, child - as guests. Remember how, when the mother told a story to the child (who couldn't sleep), the foreigner reacted oddly and asked the mother where she first heard that story and insisted that she try to remember? What do you think that was about?

Buddy: I think that man, or that family, will clarify things in the next chapter. They mentioned Mongolia, and that is the title of the next chapter. :D

ANGUS:
I don't know much about Buddhism but I think what you are referring to is their belief in the cycle of suffering and rebirth, or karma as we usually call it. In the case of the the spirits and the lullaby, I think it's more on the protagonist's relationship with the holy mountain. The spirit (old lady) comforted her with the lullaby after she was violated by the Warlord's son. In turn, she gave that same comfort (to the young girl spirit) when the mountain was at the brink of modernization, which one might say is a violation of the sacredness it holds. At least that's how I saw it.

ATTY MONIQUE:
I did catch that part with the mother telling a story and thought, "Aha! Link to next chapter!" :)

Day 5: Mongolia

My heart is so full to bursting after reading this chapter - Mitchell is so, so, so amazing that I don't know how to begin today's post!

Okay, I'll try, but please forgive me if I sound like a blabbering idiot.

So far, this is my favorite chapter. Oh gosh, I say that after every chapter that I read! But really, the first 4 chapters, I think, paled in comparison to this one.

First few pages in, and I got confused. There seemed to be two companions in the train checking Sherry out: Caspar and our narrator. And then there's the mention of the "host", and eventually I realized that, hey, our narrator is actually inside the mind and body of whoever it was he was describing: the doctor who became a loony, the man who died because our narrator forced himself out of his head. And then there's transmigration. WOW. Our narrator this time around is a spirit. A soul. A noncorpum. MYSTICAL story, this one.

In this chapter, Mitchell took on a different style and approach. Aside from the mystic aspect provided by our incorporeal narrator, the chapter added some adventure and mysterious flavor to the entire novel. The chase for Bodoo, the folklorist who was supposed to know the rest of the story of the three who think about the fate of the world, all across the provinces of Mongolia, and the successive transmigrations of our spirit in order to find him, was a thrilling one. In my head I was secretly egging on the "hosts" of our spirit to go, go, go, and each pit stop that brought it closer to Bodoo made me all excited.

There was also a moment of hilarity for me, as well: the part when Gunga went to see the shaman, who attempted to "exorcise" our spirit-narrator and instead got an earful. I found myself chuckling out loud when I read that part. :)

After reading this chapter, I had to trace our spirit's journey through the land of the living. From his life as a monk's young novice in Mongolia and his master's attempt to transmigrate him into the body of a little girl, to his awakening at the foot of the Holy Mountain inside the body of the mercenary soldier who shot his physical body, to the Tree of our unnamed heroine in the previous chapter, then to the body of that foreigner - CASPAR - who heard a mother tell the “missing” story to her child, and then finally, back to Mongolia where our spirit – at last – finds his true identity, is reunited once more with the little girl whose body he almost transmigrated into decades before, AND given another chance to live, no longer as a noncorpum... His life has, indeed, come full circle. It's just so amazing how Mitchell weaved his story, isn't it?

I also wonder if the folklore/fables that were mentioned here are true Mongolian stories. They're very interesting.

Lastly, it dawned on me after reading this chapter: the reason why this book is called "Ghostwritten" is because, truly, Mitchell is ghostwriting for the various personalities whose stories are told in this novel. Take note that the chapters we've so far read are all in the first-person POV (and I'm willing to bet that all the others are, too - and even if they aren't, I am sure I can find out AND defend why they're not), which is consistent with someone who is writing for someone else. Notice, too, that the style and approach in which each chapter is written are perfectly tailored to suit the personality of the narrator. So brilliant, right? :)

I <3 David Mitchell. I just have to say it. :D

Mongolia

ZOMG!

After NSO informed that I should wait for a few more hours, my annoyance was relieved when I checked today's post. Like what can Mitchell NOT do? This a beautiful, beautiful chapter. It has suspense, philosophy, drama, politics, history, and this is only one part of the novel, one-ninth to be exact.

I actually got confused on the second page when the narrator said knew what Caspar thought about Sherry, and when he knew that Caspar's throat was parched. Like how could the narrator know what are the workings of another character's mind and body? This could be bad editing, until we get to the part where the spirit explains everything.

AAARRRGGHHH! I love how Mitchell writes his metafiction. I love those fables and Mongolian folklores. And I just love everything about this transmigration thing. I mean, this is like a first-person-and-a-half point of view.

Okay, I said I wouldn't be fangirling, but I can't help it. So you see, this must be why I like that part about the old woman and The Tree talking to each other.

Buddy: I think the spirit (the name was mentioned, I forget it now) transmigrated more, more times than mentioned. There was mention that he went to the Pacific and South America (and that he picked up around a dozen languages).

This is how I imagine the transmigrations: the eight-year old boy -> mercenary from Holy Mountain -> doctor who went mad -> (random people) -> (Holy Mountain monks) -> The Old Woman -> the foreigner (it could or could not be Caspar; remember, he didn't talk at all until he heard of the Mongolian story about the three who thought of the fate of the world then our spirit "interrupted".)

And yes, the folklores are true. My edition has an acknowledgment regarding them.

Also, the dead and the dying (both taken literally and metaphorically) are the engines of the novel. Okinawa and Tokyo are about characters who will leave a "dead" past to start anew. Hong Kong's main character dies. Holy Mountain's old woman is dying. Mongolia's spirit is long dead and reborn. My 2 cents. :D

BUDDY: I knoooowwwww right??? So hard not to gush when we're reading David Mitchell!!! We rape the exclamation point, and if these posts had sounds, we'd be like wild, shrilly fangirls, haha! :D

About our spirit's transmigration, I just skipped the other "hosts" on my notes. It was just easier to trace his, uh, "travels" from that time he appeared as the Tree, and I highly suspect he WAS Caspar. I think it's him because Caspar was a backpacker, right? It would not be far-fetched if Caspar, in his backpacking (which spanned for months already, he mentioned) would include the Holy Mountain in his itinerary, since China is so closely located to Mongolia. :)

I agree with your 2 cents, of course. The thought about "ghostwriting" just occurred to me last night because of the way Mitchell structured the chapters/stories. :)

Wait, I'll check my edition for those folklores. If it doesn't have it, I'll get another one. Haha!

Yep, it's there. I was half-wishing there isn't so I could get a new copy, but it is. Haha!

HAHAHA! Yay to getting a new copy. I think that's Caspar too, because he mentioned something about Laos (or was it our spirit interrupting?), and Laos is near the Holy Mountain. Where exactly is it? Border of China and Nepal?

I just did a Google search and found out that there are five Holy Mountains. I first imagined it to be Mount Everest, but that one is too unforgiving for our old woman and monks to survive, right?

BUDDY: You and me both, haha! Kaloka naman ang Mt. Everest, and I didn't bother checking which mountain it is anymore because I know there are so many pilgrimage mountains in China, and I didn't catch any sign about our Holy Mountain's location. I think I missed Laos being near the Holy Mountain. (Hey, my spirit, help me out here, haha!)

And I want a copy of that Mongolian folklore book! :D