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The Bone Clocks

The Bone Clocks

FantasyLiterary Fiction
Pages
656
Published
2014
Language
English

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes runs away from home and discovers she's a magnet for psychic phenomena, attracting the attention of both dangerous mystics and their adversaries. Her disappearance leaves a lasting scar, and this unsolved mystery will ripple through her life and touch everyone she loves, even those not yet born. The story follows interconnected lives across different times and places, all caught in an invisible war.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

ComplexThought-ProvokingDarkAtmospheric
Chosen OneComing of AgeMultiple POVs

Genres

Fantasy Literary Fiction Magical Realism Science Fiction Time Travel Contemporary Literature Satire

About the author

D
David Mitchell

David Stephen Mitchell (born 12 January 1969, Southport) is an English novelist, screenwriter and librettist. Two of his novels, number9dream (2001) and Cloud Atlas (2004), were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His other books include Ghostwritten, Black Swan Green, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, The Bone Clocks, Slade House and Utopia Avenue. With his wife Keiko Yoshida he translated two books by Naoki Higashida about autism, The Reason I Jump and Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight. H...

Characters

Holly SykesProtagonist
All characters in The Bone Clocks

Frequently asked questions

  • How does this book connect to the author's other novels?

    This novel is part of a larger, interconnected literary project often referred to as the Mitchellverse, where characters, locations, and concepts frequently reappear across his bibliography. While it functions as a standalone story, eagle-eyed readers will discover cameos and references that link its events to works like The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and Cloud Atlas.

  • What is the significance of the book's structure?

    The narrative is divided into six distinct sections, each utilizing a different first-person narrator to track the protagonist's life across several decades. This relay-style approach allows the story to shift through various genres and perspectives while maintaining a singular, overarching timeline.

  • Did this book receive any notable recognition?

    The novel was honored with the 2015 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and was also long-listed for the Man Booker Prize.