I read DAVID MITCHELL’S cinematic number9dream four years ago, cause of its marvelous cover, and the promise of Tokyo descriptions on the back cover. Plus it was on sale (in amazon.co.uk)
I loved the sweet guy with the cat, the fast anxious story, the Yakuza encounters, the whole Tokyo angst. I even bought it as a present. This guy, Mitchell, actually spent 8 years in Hiroshima.
I was given Ghostwritten later, with the promise, “”you are gonna envy this book, you are gonna wish you had written it”". I loved it – however, number9dream, which i read in the original language, is still my favorite. Cloud Atlas that has also been translated in Greek is on my bedside. It got some bad reviews in Greece, but i am gonna read it anyway.
Number9dream got its title from John Lennon’s song Number9dream, like Haruki Murakami’s book Norwegian Wood, that got its name from another Beatles’ song. I liked that one too, by the way. It only got translated in greek a couple of months ago.
conclusion: books that have been named after a Beatles’ song are good.