Goal of the day: 327 words. Written: 349.
Murakami's books:
- Protagonist: 25-35 year old male. Married.
- Marriage isn't very wonderful - it's just a partnership. Go home, hugs and sex, fall asleep, go to work, repeat.
- Something disappears. An animal, a wife or a desire to do an old job.
- Travel to Hokkaido in mid-winter or late autumn. It's getting cold. Lonely and scared.
- Lives in a strange place, unlike home. Maybe just buy a second apartment from savings.
- Trying to quit smoking and chewing lemon lollipops.
- He makes love with women, 99% not with his wife.
- Sometimes he talks to cats.
- Dies. Sometimes.
You will find it only in the first short story of this book. The rest are alive, fresh, some creepy and quite strange. These are stories that are not like "traditional" Murakami stories. However, it is also full of Murakami elements that can be found in his other books.
Brief assessment:
- Style: 7/10
- Book design: 8/10
- The uniqueness of the author's work compared to his other works: 9/10
- A pleasure to read: 6/10
- Overall: 7/10
More:
Perhaps the most unmurakish thing about this book is the length of the short stories themselves. No wonder - the book itself is only 151 pages long and is not stretched through idiotic design, as authors who try to increase the number of pages do. The short stories are short, tiny and have only one historical emphasis.
I opened the book in the morning, as soon as I woke up. I thought I was going to get a fresh dose of positivity, but instead I got a dose of deaths, idea abscesses, nasty sex, even nastier people and weird, cold stories.
(Well, maybe the cold is my fault - I didn't turn on the stove in time, so my fingers are freezing.)
I believe any Murakamiphile who has already read at least 4 or more of his books will enjoy this book. Those who haven't read any (or less than 3) will likely miss the commonalities and oddities of the characters and plots.
Because of this, I recommend it to you if you have read a lot of HM's works, and I don't recommend it to you if this is your first book by this author. If so, put it on the shelf and get another one. Even "Norwegian Forest".
Comments to the author:
Haruki, I know how much you adore characters in their 20s and 30s (or younger but aged by life). But why don't you ask for a story where the older character isn't just a side teacher or catalyst, but a main character? Personally, I would be very interested in reading a Murakami story where I could see through the eyes of someone twice my age and see the similarities.
…Are you, Haruki, just stuck in a better time when you were young, handsome, had a jazz club and there were no Mexicans thai?
Interesting short stories for the Murakami fan.
wallowing in
Daniel