Liam Callanan
The Cloud Atlas (2004)
Author: Liam Callanan
Genre: Mystery (Historical)
Plot Summary:
Luis Belk is a Catholic priest serving in Alaska. He is sitting by the side of a Shaman, Ronnie, who appears to be dying in the local hospice. Ronnie asks Luis to keep talking to him so the "tuunraq" or spirit-familiar will not come and take him. Louis decides that he needs someone to confess to and tells how he came to serve in Alaska. Instead of going to a high school seminary he enlisted in the army at the end of World War II. He became a bomb disposal expert. Through a chain of unusual events he is assigned to a secret detail in Alaska looking for clues regarding the balloons set with explosives that are being sent to America from Japan. Louis' captain, Thomas Gurley, is slightly crazy and wants desparately for the war not to end before he has solved the mysterious appearance of the balloons and their weaponry. Louis meets up with Lilly, also a Shaman; who reads palms for a living and is a prostitute. Lilly is also Gurley's girlfriend and lover. SPOILER: Lilly wants to find her former lover, Saburo, who is a spy for Japan mapping the territory of Alaska in journal (The Cloud Atlas) to help plot where the next balloons should go. Lilly wants to use Luis because she knows he has access to a copy of the journal. Lilly, Louis, and Gurley go off looking for the spy, all for different reasons.
Geographical Setting:Anchorage, Alaska
Time Period: 2005, 1945, World War II
Appeal Characteristics:
This is an excellent novel, even if the mystery elements seem to be somewhat elusive. Louis Belk is believable, both as a scared, sargent in a war he doesn't quite understand, and as the priest nearing the end of his career. The secondary character, Gurley is fascinating. His utter contempt of the Japanese and bizzare behavior show how incensed people can become. Lilly is also a stong character who shows us that love and devotion can reside in many forms. The storyline is driven along by the actions of these characters. The element of the parrallel story-lines, Louis in the present and Louis in the past, help to give the story a sense of reality. The writing style is believable. Otherwise the actions from the war, (Balloons from Japan sent to attack the United States), would almost seem to take place in another world. However, the historical timeframe and the intricate descriptions of the ordnance disposal give a sense of reality. The tone is both etheral and concrete, a strange but wonderful combination. The pace of the novel is compelling, one wants to read to figure out what happens next. This book was nominated for an Edgar Award as a Best First Novel by an American Author, by the Mystery Writers of America in 2005.
Read-alikes: In reading the author's acknowlegement page I was struck by the depth of research that Liam Callanan had done. He recommended that those interested in learning more about the historical background of the novel should read Japan's World War II Balloon Bomb Attacks on North America by Robert C. Mikesh. According to Liam Callanan this book gives the reader the true account of how the bombs were constucted and what types of weapons they included. For those looking for fiction related to the Japanese and American relations both during and after the war, several titles might be of interest. Riding the East wind : A Novel written by Otohiko Kaga tells the story of the Kurushima family. The father is a Japanese diplomat to the United States, the wife is an American, and the son is a engineer who becomes a pilot for the Japanese. They all must deal with how the war will affect their lives. Those who enjoyed the mystical qualities of The Cloud Atlas might appreciate The Legend of Fire Horse Woman, written by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. In The Legend of Fire Horse Woman, Sayo finds herself forced to move to an interment camp. She and her granddaughter share the abilities of communicating with spirits. Another novel dealing with post-war American/Japanese relations is The Special Prisoner by Jim Lehrer. retired Methodist Bishop John Weston, a retired Methodist minister meets a man whom he believes is the man who tortured him when he was a prisoner of war. The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason offers a reader a character like Louis Belk. Edgar Drake becomes drawn into the culture of Burma and enters a world of local politics and manipulation, much like Belk experienced in Alaska. For those who are looking for another book by Callanan, they are also in luck. All Saints is a different novel then his first but still deals with how the main character,a Catholic High School teacher, unravels her past as she shapes her future.
Red Flags: Some language, violence, nudity, death
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