While David Mitchell's "Cloud Atlas" is waiting on my Kindle to be read, I came across a later book of his with the title "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet". The book narrates the events occurring at the artificial island of Dejima next to Nagasaki, Japan.

Towards the end of the 18th century (Year 1799, to be precise), Dejima is the only location in Japan that foreign merchants can establish trade with Japan. The second Shogun has prohibited foreigners to set foot in the Japanese islands, thus the Dutch dominate trade to Japan via a trading factory they established at Dejima, through the enormously successful company VOC (Dutch East India Company). The Japanese are exposed to European literature, medicine and other influences through this remote Dutch outpost, although the ban about promoting Christianity is still on.

Jacob de Zoet is a new junior clerk in Dejima and is given the task of rooting out corruption that is prevalent in the VOC outpost. This causes some resentment in the Dutch factory, but he is determined to prevent suspicious deals. During this task, he meets Ms. Abigawa, the daughter of a prominent Japanese doctor, who is working as a midwife and is learning Dutch and medicine. Ms. Abigawa has a scar in her face and therefore is categorised as not having the capability to have a proper marriage. Jacob slowly gets infatuated with the girl, but is is almost impossible for a foreigner to confide intimate feelings for a Japanese girl, let alone contemplating to have a relation or marriage.

While he is working on plans to provide some hints to the girl, unexpected developments occur. The girl's father dies and her stepmother sends her off to a remote monastery to help exiled - and mostly pregnant - girls there. Jacob has no clue where she has gone.

The first part of the novel roughly follows the synopsis I have given above, then goes into two more parts to follow the fate of Ms. Aibagawa and Jacob de Zoet separately.

It is a packed book, with detailed descriptions of the life and day-to-day processes in the Dejima factory and close-by Nagasaki as relevant. It is obvious that the author has conducted meticulous research on the 18th century involvement of the Dutch in Japanese trade and the subsequent events that brought the English into conflict with the Dutch everywhere but also in Japan. Supernatural beliefs of the Japanese and the Dutch, the sheer inadequacy of the scientific knowledge, the primitive medical techniques employed, intricacies of trade with a hostile partner are themes that the author has covered in great detail and with convincing realism.

I thought the last part of the book was somewhat hurried and slightly disappointing. The novel follows real events with extensive accuracy, thus it is maybe expected that unfolding events would not necessarily be earth-shattering, still one gets the feeling that the great opening chapter of the book should have been followed up wth equally exciting and gripping chapters. This reduces the impact slightly, but does not change the fact that we have a very enjoyable narrative and great attention on details.

I would highly recommend the book, though be prepared to go through more than 500 pages and make sure you have the self-discipline to carry through.