Utopia Avenue - A Review
If it Tastes like Chicken …
Let me state unequivocally that Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell is the best literature I have read, thus far, in 2020. In fact, it is the best book I have read since Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. In this reviewer's opinion, it is David Mitchell's best work since Cloud Atlas. I would venture to say that Utopia exhibits a literary sophistication that far surpasses the Cloud. Mitchell's ability to weave an intricate tale and draw us into the narrative is almost supernatural. Being a writer, I know that it has taken Mitchell years of study and many moons of grinding away at the keyboard, editing, revising, editing, and rewriting to pull off a literary work of this magnitude.
The story revolves around the exegesis of the rock and roll revolution taking place in England in the late 1960s, through the eyes of individual band members of Mitchell's fictional band Utopia Avenue. The band's main characters are about as disparate as any other band playing rock and roll then or now. Each member is fundamentally a virtuoso on his/her respective instrument(s), and each has worked in different groups. How they are brought together is as vital to the story as to how they interact, grow, and flourish as musicians and songwriters. The group is formed almost as an accident, as were many of the bands in this era of musical reformation and metamorphosis.
Music appears to be essential to life in many of Mitchell's stories, and in Utopia Avenue, it serves as a powerful force for triggering introspection. Not just ours, but members of the band. For example, when the crew discusses a name for themselves:
"'Utopia' means 'no place.' An avenue is a place. So is music. When we are playing well, I'm here, but elsewhere, too. That's the paradox. Utopia is unattainable. Avenues are everywhere." (Utopia Avenue p. 61)
The paradox of the band's name is a powerful symbol of band's music, as we discover how they write their songs and where each band members' respective inspiration is derived.
When we reach a point in the story where we are asking ourselves 'How did that happen?' or 'Why did Elf do that?' or 'Is Jasper nuts?', Mitchell subtly leads us to an explanation. We want to know what happens next, but we also desire to understand why things are the way they are.
If you are old enough, Utopia Avenue will flood your mind with memories of a different time. A time filled with music coming out of at least one garage on every block here in America. And if you are young enough, you can appreciate the technology that continues to develop and expand our ability to create beautiful harmonies and wordplay. It is without reservation that I highly recommend Utopia Avenue.
