Cloud Atlas, The

In a richly inspired debut reminiscent of Snow Falling on Cedars and The English Patient, this stirring novel, set against a magnificent Alaskan backdrop, reveals one of the most closely guarded secrets of World War II in a tale that is both a heart-quickening mystery and a unique love story. Beautifully told in a poignant dual narration, The Cloud Atlas sheds remarkable light on a little-known chapter of history while bringing the wild beauty of Alaska–and the grievous days of war–vividly to life. During World War II, Japan launched close to 10,000 bomb-laden balloons at North America–a subtle military action that marked the world’s first intercontinental warheads. From this fact, Callanan weaves a story of a young American bomb disposal sergeant, Louis Belk, who is only 18 years old when he is sent on a top-secret mission to Anchorage to chase down these improbable weapons. Alone in an intimidating city filled with bitter reminders of war, it’s the people he finds there who haunt him the longest: a Yup'ik Eskimo woman, a shaman, a boy. Sixty years later, each remains like a point on a map, connecting him in waves to the mysteries left unresolved at war’s end. And the enigmatic woman who steals his heart will send him on a lifelong journey to discover the truth behind friendship, trust, and love.