David Mitchell's Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery

David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas provides a thriller mystery in the form of third person in ‘Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery.’ In contrast to his first two stories ‘The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing’ and ‘Letters From Zedelghem’ which both use first person as in to talk directly to its reader. By using third person, Mitchell can illustrates all the characters thoughts and movements in one, in which first person only gives you the option of hearing the thoughts of the main character. This engages the readers and helps them understand all the characters. A quote that demonstrates this is, “Luisa Rey hears a clunk from the neighboring balcony. ‘Hello?’ Nobody. Her stomach warns her to set down her tonic water,” (pg. 90). As this quote clarifies,
there is no direct dialect towards the reader, which proves that it is written in third person. It makes the reader believe they are in the story and watching everything happen, and not just listening to someone tell the story. It helps the reader reach out and connect more with the story. Also, in pages 90 and 91 of ‘Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery,’ there are multiple words that could imply the period of time the story takes place in. The usage of the words, “Dig,” and, “One wild cat,” brings the story back to the 1970’s where these types of words were used as slang. The story does not identify the time period, but these words give hints that the time period is about the 1970’s. Based off the clothes the man is wear, it could possibly be 1990’s, “A man too old her his leather trousers, bare torso, and zebra waistcoat steps onto the balcony,” (pg. 90). But considering there is weed at the party and that he tries to sleep with Luisa sounds more 21st century, but it never clarifies. Although the time period is a bit confusing, it’s a fun way to swirl everything together to attract the readers eye; and make them want to look for a way to find the possible time frame of the story.