Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (a British novelist) has to be the most confusing book I have ever finished to the end. The only reason I made it to the end is that I focused on the amusing characters without trying to figure out the bigger picture. I honestly can't tell you if all the loose ends were tied up or not. This book would be great book club material because it would take a group of readers to figure it out. The novel has five characters. One is a lawyer aboard a ship during the time of the Gold Rush in California. One is a female reporter also in California but during modern times. One is a bisexual, poor composer in Belgium during the 1800's. Another is a clone or a robot living in Korea but she has evolved for some reason and she is closer to being a human than a clone. The last character, and probably the funniest, is a man about my age who worked as a publisher. He kept borrowing money from his brother until his brother got back at him by signing him into a very shady nursing home. The poor man thinks he is checking into a hotel! This novel was made into a movie which I might watch because it would help me understand the book better.
