number9dream is David Mitchell's surreal follow-up to his award-winning debut Ghostwritten. Mitchell concentrates on a single main character this time around but the episodic nature of Ghostwritten persists in number9dream and leads to a juxtaposition of contrasting styles within the main narrative. For the most part, this is used to excellent effect but at other times these tangents are almost completely unrelated to the central plot and serve as annoying distractions. A great novel that just misses out on being a masterpiece.

"Look at how I'm dressed."
"We'll say you work as a roadie."
"I'm not even well-dressed enough to be a roadie."
"Then we'll say you work as a roadie for Metallica."

RATINGS
9/10
Lal | Rich
8/10
emptyjames