A long time reader of Murakami's works, I have to say that this one was slightly disappointing. I had heard people refer to 1Q84 as his magnum opus, bA long time reader of Murakami's works, I have to say that this one was slightly disappointing. I had heard people refer to 1Q84 as his magnum opus, but I didn't take away anything special from it like I had been hoping to. I feel his shorter works packed more of a punch in both the surrealist imagery well as with the cast of characters. Maybe it was his intention to emphasize the "echo" theme or the mirroring aspect of the worlds or the doubles of people, but so much gets repeated and it happens so often! Sometimes long books feel wordy just for the sake of adding extra length and this felt like one of them to me. Overall, I didn't particularly hate anything about it and I'm glad to get it off my tbr. I just think this wasn't his best work....more
"Time. Particles of darkness configured mysterious patterns on my retina. Patterns that degenerated without a sound, only to be replaced by new patter"Time. Particles of darkness configured mysterious patterns on my retina. Patterns that degenerated without a sound, only to be replaced by new patterns. Darkness but darkness alone was shifting, like mercury in motionless space.
I put a stop to my thoughts and let time pass. Let time carry me along. Carry me to where a new darkness was configuring yet newer patterns."
I find myself speechless every time I finish a Murakami novel. Who else's mind works this way? I can't name a single person.
There's such a nihilistic atmosphere to his work--like all the world's air is gone, but these characters keep on living anyway. And only their movements can be heard, the empty space only making room for their signs of life (however lukewarm) and the effect is an overwhelming echo as loud as a gun shot in the dead of night. Everyone else is sitting like a husk in their chairs, completely oblivious to the truth. It's stale and cold, but so intuitive. It's a dream, but someone else's. What a unique talent.
I'm sad that this is the last of his novels that I physically own and have yet to read. That will change soon, though! I have my eye on the rest of his work....more
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