“Utopia Avenue” by David Mitchell

I do not care about the rest of 2020, we got a new book from David Mitchell this year and that makes up for it to me. Mitchell is one of my favorite authors, and reading his works were formative for me in college. And this book does not disappoint.

I cannot help but feel as though this book was written specifically for me. Utopia Avenue chronicles the experiences of four musicians in England in the 60s as they come together to form a band and make music together. There is Elf, already an established folk singer in her own right; Jasper, a guitar wizard if a bit eccentric; Griff, a jazz drummer; and Dean, a bassist who recently got evicted from his apartment and has nothing else going for him. It is a recipe for success!

Knowing Mitchell, the narration is not as straightforward as it seems. Each chapter features a different member of the band’s voice, but observant readers will notice that it follows the tracks of the band’s albums. Each song has a specific songwriter, who narrates the chapter in the story of the band pertaining to that song. It’s a really neat structure that compliments the story of the band without getting toooooo out there and weird.

What I continue to appreciate more and more about Mitchell’s writings are how he will bring back characters that he loved to write about and expand his universe. Fans of Michell’s work will recognize a number of them (Jasper de Zoet is probably the most obvious one) including the beloved Marinus as well as one of my favorite characters from Cloud Atlas. And even if readers are unfamiliar with his works, that does not detract from the book at all. Everything necessary is explained in the plot, and in fact even builds off of previous books they appeared in.

I do not want to spoil one of the best additions to the book, but I absolutely loved the development of Elf and her sexuality. Mildly alluded to early on in the book, it becomes official when she begins to date Luisa, a reporter who might be familiar to some. I was nervous about this direction, seeing as how men writing queer female relationships has not always been respectful. But Mitchell treats the subject with grace and respect. There’s a segment on labels that so nicely captures how it feels to have your identity turned upside down by how you feel about someone. I was pleasantly surprised for sure, and I definitely wish that more male writers took a leaf out of his book.

Utopia Avenue is one of the best books that I have read in a while. It does not shy away from discussing esoteric subjects like how music can make you feel while also chronicling the mundane interactions between friends. Plenty of people claim the music of the 60s as an inspiration, but few are able to portray it in a fresh light like Mitchell can.