The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What I enjoyed most about this novel is the language of the traders on Dejima. You’ll learn over 20 ways to describe the pain associated with gout and/or syphilis via the descriptive prowess of a 1800s English sea captain. Mitchell truly gives the reader a sense of presence in a foreign land. The only reason I failed to give it a 5 star rating was that I felt the last quarter of the book was a little rushed from a linear/progression standpoint. But one of the more enjoyable reads I have had for a long time. If you have any interest in Japan, colonialism, pirates, archaic medicine, or learning racial slurs in early 19th century vernacular – read this book.