The Joy of Reading
At the thematic center of this complex and convoluted narrative is a celebration of reading. The novel's very dedication is to all librarians of the past, the present, and the future. Once the narrative does commence, libraries as an actual location as well as a philosophical concept become essential to working out the multi-layered plot. The author has himself described the structure of the book as really being not just a single novel, but five novels within one, fashioning the novel as a kind of library of experiences across time and space. In addition, the entire story is centered upon the discovery of a long-lost ancient Greek manuscript, which contributes to the idea of libraries as a place for preserving knowledge both old and new.
Connectivity
A seven-year gap separates Doerr’s previous novel—the Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See—from this follow-up and it seems especially fitting, though hardly planned, that it would be published while the COVID pandemic was still raging across the world. The story takes place across a vast expanse of time and space, from the first century Greek text that serves as the catalyst to 15th century Europe, 20th century America, and into the distant future of long-term space travel in the next century. All these times and places feature vastly different individuals, yet all are connected by this manuscript, Cloud Cuckoo Land. The power of a single book to connect readers across the continuum of time and space becomes one of the more unique quirks of human existence. It highlights how literature has the power to connect us through a universal experience of not just reading, but going through so much of what the world has to offer us, and how the way in which we interact with our surroundings has a longer-lasting impact than we might believe.
The Road to Utopia
The title of the book derives from a place found in Aristophanes's comedy The Birds, and its satirical point has since transformed the term into a metaphor for any mode of thought that is oblivious to the factual undermining of its utopian ideal. Things seem perfect to the person living in Cloud Cuckoo Land, while to all non-inhabitants, the imperfections are jaw-droppingly obvious. The novel explores the larger psychology of why writers have persistently pursued the idea of creating a perfect state for all when the least little bit of human experience is enough to inform them that it is destined to lead to failure. The five different perspectives within the novel are all integrated into story that seeks to offer an optimistic view of the future of humanity which doesn’t set itself up for failure through expectations of a perfect utopian ideal.
Conflict, Extremism, and the Erasure of Knowledge
Throughout the novel, characters are affected by conflict—the conquest of Constantinople, the Korean War, a bombing at the local library, a deathly virus aboard a spaceship. In all of these situations, both the characters as well as knowledge and books are threatened. The importance of preserving books in spite of conflict is highlighted by Licinius to Anna during their reading lessons, who describes books as the soul of a writer who has recorded their memory, but "when a book goes out of the world, the memory dies a second death."
Conversely, fighting fire with fire isn't going to help preserve books and knowledge either. When Seymour bombs the library in a misguided extreme attempt to help the environment, he ends up killing Zeno. Therefore, Cloud Cuckoo Land appears to argue that all kinds of conflict and extremist efforts, be it for any perceived good or bad, will result in some kind of erasure of knowledge. It's with empathy and respect for others that we ultimately are able to protect the libraries of our world, both living and non living.
Perseverance
All five main characters encounter incredible odds against their aims to achieve their goals, yet are able to subvert them. In Constantinople, Anna goes against gender roles and social norms of the day in order to learn how to read. Similarly, Omeir, despite getting ostracized for his cleft lip and being conscripted into the Ottoman Army, makes a conscious decision to choose peace over conflict and finds happiness with Anna and his family in their rural home. Zeno, a gay man living in mid-20th century America, leads a lonely life after losing his father, enduring war, and becoming distant from the love of his life, but finally finds renewed joy in living at the end of his life, when he organizes a play with local fifth graders. Seymour is autistic and has a difficult time connecting with others, but his interest in the library, technology, and conservation enable him to preserve knowledge and redeem himself while imprisoned. Konstance battles against the confines of her spaceship and uses her knowledge to find a way out after a horrifying virus has destroyed all she loves.
All of them are able to persevere through a love of stories, with a focus on Aristophanes's Cloud Cuckoo Land. Connected by books and libraries, they are empowered by literature to undermine the obstacles they encounter in their extremely different lives. By channeling the knowledge they gain from books and their love of reading into their resistance, the characters demonstrate how, while "permanence is only an illusion" as the Italian merchants tell Anna, books empower us to navigate the changing times and find a way to survive.
