Review soon. ( )

Story: 7.0 / 10
Characters: 8.5
Setting: 7
Prose: 7.5

My second Murakami book. A friend insisted I give Murakami another try, that The Big Sheep Chase wasn't the best book of theirs to start with. You'll be happy to know that they were right. This book was much better. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.

You'll be saddened to hear that I'm still not going to read Murakami again. The story didn't get started until 30 - 55% of the way through the book. Wasting that many pages is unforgiveable.
DO NOT RECOMMEND MURAKAMI TO ME AGAIN... ( )

What a whiny little man. Still liked it though. ( )

With Murakami, you can always count on recurring themes and elements. You'd think that'd take away from the reading experience but the surprising thing is that it doesn't. Before long, you start welcoming how the words ooze melancholy, you start to be drawn into the dream-like state the story takes place in and once you are done, experience the need to shake off a thin haze that had built around you before you can get back to life as it was. Post-read, every book leaves a lingering after-taste that keeps you coming back for more.

And yet, I was fairly disappointed with this book. It simply failed to stand out. The plot was simple, the writing wasn't out of the ordinary and it just wasn't memorable enough. With no read 'meat' to the story and the absence of the 'it' factor (which Norwegian Wood was laced with), the ambiguity which allows a readers imagination to soar and fill in the blanks became a hindrance. Overall, if you are a huge Murakami fan, go ahead and read it. If not, I'd suggest skipping it since it's not one of his finer works. ( )

Hajime tells the story of his relationships from age twelve through thirty-seven. When he was twelve, he developed a close friendship with Shimamoto, and even when they moved away from each other, she stayed in his mind and heart. At age seventeen, his first intense relationship is with Izumi, whom he hurts deeply. He meets his future wife, Yukiko, at age thirty. Her father helps him go into business as the manager of two jazz bars. Hajime and Yukiko seem to have a wonderful life together, but their relationship is strained when Shimamoto comes back into the picture.

The primary focus of this book is how a relationship can succeed or fail based on choices, how people can get hurt even when intentions are good, and the harmful consequences of obsession. It also questions the nature of reality, even to the point where I wondered if some of what appears to have really happened may have been Hajime’s imagination. Of course, the more I read Murakami’s works, the more I appreciate that figuring out what is real (and not) is part of the charm. ( )