The Bone Clocks

David Mitchell's 2014 novel that generally follows the life of Holly Sykes, from her teenage years in Gravesend, England, through marriage and motherhood, to old age in Sheep's Head, Ireland. Holly is gifted with psychic abilities and becomes entangled in an epic battle between the Horologists and the Anchorites. Many characters from Mitchell's other novels appear in The Bone Clocks and this novel includes some of the clearest explanations regarding the supernatural elements underlying the Mitchell Universe.

The novel is divided into six sections, each representing one decade in Holly's life.

Sections

 * 1) "A Hot Spell" (1984). Holly Sykes grew up hearing voices and has an unusual little brother named Jacko (who is actually Xi Lo). As the novel opens, she runs away from home. Before leaving Jacko had asked her to memorize a maze. During her travelling away from home, Holly meets a woman who is actually Esther Little, who takes refuge in her mind. Holly later is picked up by a young couple as a hitchhiker and while in her home, she encounters a violent man called Rhîmes who is searching for Esther Little. Esther re-animates the corpses of the couple and defeats Rhimes, then erases these events from Holly's memory. Holly is later informed by Ed Brubeck that her little brother has gone missing and returns home.
 * 2) "Myrrh is Mine, Its Bitter Perfume" (1991). Hugo Lamb [Insert]
 * 3) Ed Brubeck (2004)
 * 4) Crispin Hershey (2012-2019)
 * 5) Dr. Iris Fenby/Marinus (2025)
 * 6) Holly resumes narration of the novel in the final section. Now in her seventies, she has retired to coastal Ireland, where she cares for her orphaned granddaughter and a young refugee boy named Rafiq. Due to environmental collapse, an event known as the Endarkenment is ongoing, resulting in the loss of electricity, food supplies, communication, and the fall of civilisation.

Characters
Many characters in The Bone Clocks make appearances in other works by David Mitchell. Some appear as full cast members, while others are only referred to in passing.

Recurring characters from the David Mitchell Universe appearing in The Bone Clocks include:
 * Hugo Lamb
 * Crispin Hershey
 * Mo Muntervary