Ghostwritten

Hi everyone,

In this post, I am really glad to suggest you to read a novel from David Mitchell, Ghostwritten. This is an interconnected novel about interconnectedness. What I mean by that is, in this book, there 10 chapters, whose narrators are totally different, and each of the chapters are take place in different cities, despite that, both people and places are somehow interrelated.

David Mitchell is such a writer who concerns causality more than anything else. You will so going to read this ''causality'' word in this post, I am going to mention to that very often.

Since I give the idea briefly, let's review and evaluate chapters one by one.

Okinawa

Here, there is an utopian scenario, more likely to a dystopian scenario, whose narrator is Quasar, a doomsday cult member. There is a cult named Fellowship, -by the way the cult's name sounds very friendly doesn't it?- and in this cult Quasar, like all the other members gave up from all his family, and possessions, and -the most important one- from his individuality for becoming a member of the cult. What I mean by individuality is, they leave their inner space, and perceive the things from not their own point of view, but according to His Serendipity's, who is like their Guru's or something. 

Speaking of individuality, I feel I have to talk about confirmation bias, which is, people who support something (e.g. political party), they do not realize its negative sides. Even if they realize, they keep defending it, so does Quasar. He never disagree on something that the cult does.

“Unclean, unclean. These Okinawans never were pure-blooded Japanese. Different, weaker ancestors. As I turned away and walked towards the elevator, my ESP told me she was smirking to herself. She wouldn’t be smirking if she knew the calibre of mind she was dealing with. Her time will come, like all the others.”
Citation: David Mitchell. “Ghostwritten.” iBooks. 

According to the cult, there are people who are in the cult are clean, and people from out of the cult seen as unclean, and they must be become a cult member or should be sacrificed by the certain cult members. Moreover, it can be easily inferred from the quotation that how racist, essentialist, and narcist Quasar is.

The cult, so does Quasar, thinks that people in Japan and also all around the world is in the process of Americanization more than globalization. Why he thinks that way is because -Japan- people consume American products, and ape Americans. He is bothered from Japan people, who forget their own culture.

For that reason, Quasar didn't feel any guilt, or regret when he sacrificed people in the metro station by sarin gas, Quasar thinks this is not an atrocity, the true monster is modernization itself.

Tokyo

As you know, Tokyo is a metropolitan city, and metropolitans are very crowded. When you want to listen to yourself, it is very difficult to find a silent physical place. This is why Saturo, the narrator of this chapter, who is such a sweetheart by the way, thinks that people have to make their places in their head, which is called inner space. Saturo finds himself in Jazz. He is not only a listener, but also a saxophone player. 

My favorite narrator, Saturo is 19, and he doesn't study, but work in a music store, reads classical novels. He is a very mature, emotional, and sensitive guy.

As in the previous chapter, there is also a discomfort about people becoming more like Americans. Saturo thinks that most girls are wearing the same accessories, using the same words. 

When he came across a girl, who is unlikely to the girls that I mentioned above, he fell in love at first sight. Somehow they come across again, and things will happen the way they do.

I don't want to spoil anyone, this is why I won't write how they encounter again.

“Why do things happen the way they do? Since the gas attack on the subway, watching those pictures on TV, watching the police investigate like a crack squad of blind tortoises, I’ve been trying to understand . . . Why do things happen at all? What is it that stops the world simply . . . seizing up?’

I’m never sure whether Mr Fujimoto’s questions are questions. ‘Do you know?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know the answer, no. Sometimes I think it’s the only question, and that all other questions are tributaries that flow into it.’ He ran his hand through his thinning hair. ‘Might the answer be “love”?”

Citation: David Mitchell. “Ghostwritten.” iBooks. 

He asks such big questions, questioning the term causality.

I believe you'll really like this chapter and its narrator. That's all for Tokyo.

Hong-Kong

Let's me introduce Neal, the narrator. Neal is a British financial lawyer, who works in a British company in Hong-Kong. He is married with Katy. He betrayed his wife with their maid. 

And weirdly, in their house, there is a ghost of a little girl. Sometimes Neal mentions that too.

Neal's inner space is very cluttered. His both work and private lives are very complicated.

I leave the rest to you.

Holy Mountain

Where is my Tea Shack Lady? There she is. She is also such a sweetheart. She is an old lady who runs her own business, Tea Shack. She lives in a place, where is far from the city, closer to the nature. She holds on powerful beliefs. Whatever happens, she accepts in a way, gets power from her beliefs.

“I live here quietly, minding my own business. I don’t bother anybody. Why are men forever marching up the path to destroy my Tea Shack? Why do events have this life of their own?”

Citation: David Mitchell. “Ghostwritten.” iBooks. 

However, beginning from her childhood, she is tortured by men. In the quotation above, like Saturo, in the Tokyo chapter, she is also questioning the cause and effect relationship, causality.

Mongolia

There is a noncorpum, which is a bodiless thing, stays people's minds, and passes from one people to another to find out its heritage.

I like noncorpum a lot. It keeps all the knowledge from passing one to another, so it will become more experienced, and knowledgeable day by day.

Petersburg

Ms Latunsky is a woman, who works at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. And, Rudi is her lover. Ms Latunsky has a dream about living in Switzerland, far from crowd and everything, having children with her Rudi, and eventually becoming a big happy family. It seems like very innocent dream, but they try to make it happen by doing something illegal. Well, I think this is the most fast moving chapter in the book. 

London

There is an actual ghostwriter on this chapter. What is a ghostwriter, do you know that? Of course you do, but I'll make it clear for everyone. Ghostwriters are writers, who are the owner of the master piece without their name on it. Another way to tell that is that they write things behalf of the owner of the story. 

For example, in this chapter, our main character Marco is writing a biography of a guy named Alfred. But as you can predict, it is going to be an autobiography, since the writer will be shown as Alfred. 

Well, here also there are many questionings for causality and coincidences, but I don't want to get detailed, so that you can surprise when you hopefully read this book.

Clear Island

This is a very good chapter. It provides very good insights about Irish culture. In this chapter, our main character is a lady, who is a quantum physician. She loved what she is doing until one day she learnt how the establishment that she works for uses and applies this sort of technology and information for. 

Night Train

Bat Segundo, is a DJ, and he has his own radio programme, Night Train FM, on 97.8. He and people who call him have a conversation, and also he plays certain types of musics like blues, rock, and jazz. 

Who do you think call him constantly? I'll leave you the rest.

Underground

Lets face with Quasar one more time, and leave the stories behind us.

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In general, this book made me think of some phenomenons that I've never excogitate ever in my entire life. I definitely recommend you to read this novel. Hope, you like both the post and the book.

See you!