Time-twisting, mind-bending and wonderfully sprawling: all apply to the books of David Mitchell. Author of the Booker nominated titles Cloud Atlas and number9dream, as well as The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, is back with his latest offering, The Bone Clocks, his latest epic exploration of fantasy and reality spanning from the years 1984 to 2057.
In a Guardian Live event, David Mitchell sat with Guardian books editor Claire Armitstead and answered questions about writing those plots, his characters and read a snippet of The Bone Clocks. Here are some of the highlights:
David revealed details of his craft, including that he often draws his characters as doodles and even gives job interviews to characters from his earlier novels, who are seeking parts in books he is working on – usually while he’s in the tub.
“It has been pointed out by people in my immediate domestic circle that I do talk to myself quite a lot,” he said. “In the shower, actually... I’m giving [his characters] job interviews in the shower.”
The tone took an academic turn:
He also revealed he is a bit of a sap when it comes to sentimental movies:
David also spoke about his admiration of singer Kate Bush and how he wrote dialogue for the dramatic scenes in her recent return to stage, the critically acclaimed Before The Dawn concerts.
- Read David’s My Hero article on Kate Bush in the Guardian: ‘It’s hard to think of a novelist, let alone another singer-songwriter, who takes on such diverse narrative viewpoints with Bush’s aplomb’
Finally, the most important part:
Worth the four year wait? Generally, David Mitchell’s fanbase is a devoted one but the excitement around the release of The Bone Clocks is especially heightened with the book longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker prize and the winner announcement on 14 October.
Ending on a definite two-thumbs-up review:
Are you on Twitter and attending a Guardian Live event? Be sure to tweet the hashtag #GuardianEvent when you go and let us know what you think!
Interested in Guardian Live events? See our upcoming events list
