What a ride.

The Bone Clocks is a series of six short(ish) stories set in 1984, 1991, 2004, 2015, 2025, and 2043. They loosely follow the life of Holly Sykes from teenage rebellion through old age, but the story’s bigger than Holly. Behind the scenes, and intruding on these stories, is an unimaginable war.

On each side of this war are people with supernatural abilities. Their arcane history intrudes on Holy’s life in shocking and incomprehensible ways. The genius of this book comes when you learn something about the battle and are forced to flip back through the pages (and decades) where you can make sense of what at the time (and page) was confusing.

David Mitchell walks a fine line here. He tells stories set in the natural world that are every bit as compelling as the supernatural elements. These stories stay with you.

Mitchell, David. The Bone Clocks: A Novel. Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2014.