Book Review: "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr

I think that there will be a couple of things that you notice when you start reading Anthony Doerr's Cloud Cuckoo Land. The first thing you will notice is how much better it is than his previous book All the Light We Cannot See. The second thing you will notice is how nice and large it is, so it will be easily curled up with a cup of coffee in the early morning, or the late dark night. The third thing you will notice is that the whole book is about the translation of a book - a book that transcends time and moves to connect each character to another in the story. The final thing you should notice is how much alike this book is to another great modern classic (and a personal favourite book of mine, yes it is in my top ten favourites of all time before you ask) - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

The book spans over seven-hundred years of history. This goes from the Medieval World regarding the grand Constantinople, all the way through to the 22nd century, ahead of our own time. The 22nd century is complete with spaceships and virtual reality, but in no way feels like a clichéd representation of the future. In fact, everything in this 22nd century world feels almost too believable and too close. Characters include, but are not limited to: Anna - a young girl in Constantinople who learns to read by trading lessons for wine, Zeno - a man who is translating a book (I don't want to say too much about this character or it might give some plot points away) and then there are characters such as eco-terrorists and teachers, librarians and so much more. These more plot-turning characters from later on in the story I won't name for spoiler purposes.

Anthony Doerr stated in his Guardian Interview about the book Cloud Cuckoo Land that he 'always had a terror of erasure' (Cummins, 2021) which is probably the best way to describe this book as well. This book is based on the fear of erasure. From the part where Anna learns to read and is handed that piece of paper by her teacher (by the way, that is my favourite scene in the book), to when the eco-terrorist squats in a library, waiting for the explosives to go off. Erasure and the fear of erasure are the main themes of the novel. The way in which ancient texts get translated, given to others, analysed, archived, shared and taught is one of the biggest lessons of this book. The question that is being answered by the book is: 'how do we keep such old and yet relevant ideas and teachings alive?' I think that Anthony Doerr answers it perfectly.

Within the text, there are very time appropriate events and ideas. In Constantinople, Anna and Mary witness the takeover of the state first hand when people practically run into their home intending to hurt them if they do not listen and comply. In the modern day, eco-terrorists randicalised by climate change fears take it upon themselves to do something they regard as revolutionary. In reality, this is something that other characters must shield themselves from if they want to stay alive. Ideas such as: identity, climate change, philosophy, life and death and the way in which we learn things are explored in intense amounts of detail in this book - making it truly one of the best books of the decade.

In conclusion, this book is so much like Cloud Atlas (even though Cloud Atlas is based upon a piece of music rather than a book) and it has the same connection over many lives and ideas. I think though that there is still room for more books like this one because if we need anything, it is a connection to our past so that we can connect with our future as well.