Haruki Murakami
1994-95
Around 610 pages
I once went out with a guy who expressed disdain for white women who like Murakami, and therefore that makes them worldly or alternative. So I guess appreciating Murakami is mainstream, and you should dislike him to prove you're not racist. Naturally, there wasn't a second date so I didn't have time to repulse him with my adoration of other quality writers. Anyway, I liked this a lot, sorry Guy-Whose-Name-I-Can't-Remember.
Well, if you're a basic bitch like me and have read Murakami before, you know that his plots begin someplace strange and end up someplace even stranger, and it's difficult to explain what goes on in between. We start in a Tokyo suburb with a young man named Toru Okada, who is searching for his wife's missing cat. Okada encounters a bizarre group of characters in his search, including a psychic prostitute, a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl, and a war veteran who has been permanently changed by the Japan's campaign in Manchuria.
I'm not entirely sure why I can love a strange story like this, but absolutely detest Pynchon's works, which is sort of similar in terms of weirdness and plot. I guess it comes down to style. I think Murakami is a great storyteller. His books are so accessible to foreigners like me, and yet, provide such a wholly Japanese experience. Like all my favorite authors, he masterfully blends comedy and philosophy into an easily digestible story.
And this isn't even my favorite Murakami! Welcome to the blog my friend.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Adapted to film in 2011.
Won the Yomiuri Literary Award.
UP NEXT: The Master of Petersburg by J.M. Coetzee
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