Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

Friday, 21 June 2013

Carole Reviews: After Dark - Haruki Murakami

Author: Haruki Murakami

Title: After Dark

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Contemporary

Pages: 191

First Published: December 2004

Where I Got It: Borrowed from Library

"A short, sleek novel of encounters set in Tokyo during the witching hours between midnight and dawn, and every bit as gripping as Haruki Murakami’s masterworks The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore.

At its center are two sisters—Eri, a fashion model slumbering her way into oblivion, and Mari, a young student soon led from solitary reading at an anonymous Denny’s toward people whose lives are radically alien to her own: a jazz trombonist who claims they’ve met before, a burly female “love hotel” manager and her maid staff, and a Chinese prostitute savagely brutalized by a businessman. These “night people” are haunted by secrets and needs that draw them together more powerfully than the differing circumstances that might keep them apart, and it soon becomes clear that Eri’s slumber—mysteriously tied to the businessman plagued by the mark of his crime—will either restore or annihilate her.

After Dark moves from mesmerizing drama to metaphysical speculation, interweaving time and space as well as memory and perspective into a seamless exploration of human agency—the interplay between self-expression and empathy, between the power of observation and the scope of compassion and love. Murakami’s trademark humor, psychological insight, and grasp of spirit and morality are here distilled with an extraordinary, harmonious mastery."

This is the second time I've read this book and the second book I've read by Mr. Murakami.

Ahhhhhhhh, I needed a good dash of Haruki Murakami's writing in my reading. I haven't read anything by him in a long time and this book flashed in my mind. I remember liking it a lot before, I had given it four stars a while back, but now that I've grown and I have a better grasp of his writing style, I adore this even more. He reminds me a mixture of Poe and of O'Neill and then thrown in the Japanese flavor with it.There is just something so magical about his stories. There is something so heavy and thought provoking.

Especially this one.

My brain is still trying to connect all the connections together. Everything in his stories somehow, someway connect. Everything has purpose. I really like that. It really makes your mind avoid wanting to skim, because a clue to what the hell is going on is hidden in the text. Fantastic. I know, I know I'm acting biased because I am in utter awe of the author. Loving his writing makes me feel slightly biased. Haha. Oh well.

Poor Mari...all she wanted to do was just read her book and forget the world, but no, no, she is forced (due to her goodness) to interact with the people of the night. She is forced to take a glimpse of a world a million miles away from her. However, thanks to her small adventure she gained insight to herself. It made her stronger, more confidence, a chance at love, and a chance to clear up her misty relationship with her sister.

I love nearly everything about this tale...but the only thing that irked me a little was an uncertain ending. He left it up to the reader to dictate what happens. Yes, he gives some possible foreshadows for you to use to create the ending, but still...it's left up to reader to really decide. I HATE THAT! It normally doesn't bug other people, but for me its annoying. I want to know! I didn't make the story, so I don't want to decide what happens. Sighs. Oh well.

In the end, this is a good book. I would recommend this book and the author (himself) to those that love a little bit of darkness, a little bit of humor, thought-provoking theme, interesting characters, and a story that will make you take a second look at society, reality, and yourself. In the end, though, I still have to give this 4 stars, due to the ending.

Favorite Character(s): Mari (reminds me of me in a way)

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Mmmmm the business man (jackass).

*CaroleRae*

Friday, 30 November 2012

Review: Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

Let me preface this by saying I know nothing of Japanese culture. I might recognise a stereotype—emphasis on the word might—but that’s it. So, if any point you feel like raving about how I just don’t get it, you’re probably right. I don’t. Instead I’m going to ask a few stupid questions and concentrate on the things I do know—like what I consider good storytelling.

Believe it or not, there was a time when I liked quiet novels, I still do, but it’s a rare book that hits me just right at the right time and changes my world. I kept wishing Norwegian Wood would be one of those books, but it was not to be.

Toru is a middle aged man on a plane and hears a familiar song. Suddenly Toru is a young man studying in university in Tokio and he’s in love with a girl who never loved him. Toru has friends, good friends and bad friends. Toru has sex a lot. Toru is lost.

This is a young man’s coming of age story, and this is a book about sex and suicide. Not necessarily in that order. I’m aware of the description that extols Murakami’s lively representation of the 1960’s Japan and the fascinating mix of east and admiration of all things American. Those things are true too, but unfortunately the majority of this book isn’t about what life was like in 1960’s; majority of this book is about an eighteen-to-twenty-year-old-man wanting to get laid. And when Toru Watanabe isn’t getting his leg over, the girls are talking about how wet they were with him or with someone else. It’s off putting to say the least.

And then there are the suicides. I think I counted four of them and that just made me think the author doesn’t know how to pick his moments. Or is suicide a huge problem in Japan? Are masses of young adults killing themselves there? If they are, this isn’t the book to highlight and address that problem. This isn’t a book that encourages people to stop and think what needs to be changed for kids to stop killing themselves. Not only did Murakami fail to pick and choose, he managed to trivialise a very serious issue.

I’m not going to dignify the psychological break recovery portrayal with a comment.

Then there’s the romance aspect. With better characterisations I might agree that it was well done. There was a love triangle of sorts but it wasn’t about choosing the first shiny love of a character’s life but about choosing what was best for them in the long run. However, it was boring and it was trite. I could see the ending coming from a long way and the only thing that could’ve save the book and its rating for me would have been the how.

Had Toru’s epiphany and personal growth happened differently, I might have ended up liking this book, because that’s what I kept hoping for. I can see why others have liked the story. I liked the writing and in theory I liked the message. It’s not that long ago that I was going through some of these things and learning to be an adult, but even then I had my priorities sorted differently. The shame of failing in school or life is nothing compared to the shame of hurting my family by hurting myself—like taking away my own life or running away. I had this figured out by the time I was twelve, so I have little sympathy for adults still lost on this issue.

Sometimes people fall and need help to pick themselves up again. It’s a part of life, but I don’t think we should romanticise it.

2 stars