Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of... â€� Reader Q&A

Questions About Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

by Haruki Murakami

Reader Q&A

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Answered Questions (20)

For fans who read 1Q84 and were disappointed, has that affected your desire to read this one?

Oscar I really like 1Q84. It was magical & thought provoking. This was ordinary by comparison

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First book of his I've read. I enjoyed it. What should I read next?

Amalia Kafka on the Shore is my favorite. Recommended!

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What is your theory on the ending of this book?

Zach They say in order for there to be a story, characters have to change. By the end of Colorless, how has Tsukuru Tazaki changed?

He is able to love, possâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðThey say in order for there to be a story, characters have to change. By the end of Colorless, how has Tsukuru Tazaki changed?

He is able to love, possibly for the first time. After his friends abandoned him, he essentially had trust issues: He could never fully invest himself in any relationship; there was always some kind of wall or weight that was holding him back. Now, after meeting with Kuro (Eri) in Finland, a great burden has been lifted. And now Tsukuru can have these relinquished, powerful feelings for Sara.

But just because the character changes, does that mean the world around him changes? Even if Tsukuru has "gotten over" his trust issues, this doesn't mean that people are never going to abandon him again. Someone probably will, at some point. Maybe even Sara will (we don't know). But, it seems like if Sara *does* reject Tsukuru, Tsukuru is going to have a "trust issue" relapse - he even says that he might *really* die if Sara rejects him.

So, in a way, to *really* see if Tsukuru changed, we would have to know how Tsukuru would react to Sara's rejection. And that's what Murakami wants to leave up to interpretation. After all this, has Tsukuru really changed? And even if he has, and if he can suddenly invest himself in others, does that mean he lives in a world where people won't abandon you?

Nope - not according to Murakami. Abandonment seems pretty inevitable in Murakami's world, and it all depends on how you handle it. If people (i.e., Kuro et. al) abandon you, will you be able to swim alone in that dark sea? If you're Tsukuru - barely (but you're super close to dying). And if you're Shiro, no - and you die because of it. (less)

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This is the first Murakami book I have read (regrettably) and I have loved it. Want to read more but it seems that some of his fiction appeals to certain readers more than others? anyway any recommendations based on the fact I really enjoyed this one. I loved the quirkiness of it. Any ideas welcome. Thanks

Larry Piper I've never read a Murakami book I didn't like, even What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Underground. My favorite, I think, was Wind-up Birâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðI've never read a Murakami book I didn't like, even What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Underground. My favorite, I think, was Wind-up Bird Chronicle, which was also the first of his books I ever read. I adored Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and Kafka on the Shore and was quite taken by Norwegian Wood. But as I said, I've never read a book of his I didn't like. I was beyond elated when I discovered he'd come out with a new book. It took me all of ten minutes, after said discovery, to reserve it at the library.(less)

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I would love to have soundtracks for some of his books including this latest one. Anyone else feel that?