The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Book Talk

This month, Book Talk has been reading and discussing The Bone Clocks, the highly anticipated new novel by David Mitchell. The book follows Holly Sykes, a young girl suffering from aural hallucinations, from her teenage years in Gravesend across the world - both geographically and temporally - to a future in the West of Ireland after civilisation has collapsed.Sasha de Buyl is joined by freelance literature and events programmer Hannah Trevarthen and Peggy Hughes, Programme Director of the Dundee Literary Festival to ask if The Bone Clocks lives up to the expectations set by the success of his previous novels.One criticism of David Mitchell's novels has been that they read more like a series of short stories than a novel. This book is no exception and is split into six sections, each featuring a different character. What did our panel think of this structure - did the novel remain cohesive or become difficult to read as a result?The panel also discuss the book's Longlisting for the Man Booker prize. Ahead of the Shortlist announcement, we ask if the book is a potential winner. With four Booker nominations - but no wins - under his belt, is it that Mitchell's books too hard to classify or too accessible to win a literary award?If you're reading, or have read, the book, what did you think? Is it an Award contender or overrated? How do you think it compares to Mitchell's previous novels? We'd love to know what you thought - you can join the discussion in the comments below, or on Twitter @scottishbktrust