Author: David Mitchell

Title: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

Publisher: Random House

In 1799 the Dutch ship The Shenandoah, arrives in Japan's Nagasaki Bay carrying the young clerk, Jacob de Zoet. He has traveled to the Orient to better his lot in life, having left a fiancé back in Europe that he doesn't yet have the means to care for. A five year stint with The Dutch East Indies Company should give him the opportunity to return home with both money and merchandise on which to build his future. Little does he know that once the ship docks on Dejima Island, that he will never see his bride, his country, or his life the same again.

Dejima is a manmade Island out in Nagasaki Bay where the Dutch traders are made to live, and who are very rarely given permission from the Japanese to come all the way ashore. Their desire is to keep the foreigners, and their western ways, from corrupting the Japanese way of life, yet open to trade opportunities. The tension sets the stage for many rules and much corruption. Since the Dutch ships only arrive once a year to the Dejima port, taking a job for the trading company means living on an island prison, in the middle of the two worlds and very different cultures.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet tells the story of many dramatic choices that Jacob is required to make, starting with whether or not he will smuggle his family's copy of the Psalms onto the island, even though if the Japanese find him with Christian material he will be exiled or possibly even put to death. It is a symbolic decision, representative of his time in Japan and the many significant choices he confronts. At the heart of the story is a romantic relationship between Jacob de Zoet and Orito Aibagawa, a Japanese midwife that is the mirror image of Jacob's qualities in her own culture. A section of the book trails off of Dejima and follows Aibagawa on her own moral and religious journey that will leave readers breathless. Many other rich characters, with both large and small roles, make you feel as though you haven't opened a book, but have been granted permission to peer through a special window into the early 1800's in Nagasaki.

The book highlights many differences between the East and the West including family relationships, romance, medicine, race, religion and the meaning of duty and honor. David Mitchell does a remarkable job of presenting a beautiful portrait of life, with heroes and villains represented in each of the cultures. It is obvious why two of his five books were shortlisted for the Booker Prize for literature. This one could find its way into the prize circle as well. The language and descriptions are both detailed and complex. Mitchell's prose takes patience to read and his book shouldn't be rushed through in a weekend. While this book seemed somewhat laborious at the beginning, it worked its wonders when the pace is found. It is delighting at times, surprising at others, and ultimately disappointing when you arrive at the back cover.

**This review first published on September 20, 2010.