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This book comprises a series of essays on the author’s thoughts on writing. They’re structured quite informally, being almost conversational in their style. Murakami reflects on his writing life and details how he prepares for and executes particular tasks, be they writing a full novel or something smaller. A few things struck me:

1. In an early piece he ventures that regular readers amount to only one in twenty of the general population. That seems very low to me and might be challenged by a small amount of independent research I’ve carried out (i.e. just a basic Google search). It seems that the figure is hard to pin down and is impacted by such matters who to include or exclude, levels of literacy in some parts of the world etc. But if true, does that make us members of a fairly exclusive club?

2. I didn’t realise that he works as a translator (English to Japanese) in addition to producing his own compositions. He fits this in around his other writing tasks, sometimes to give his mind some release (a breaker) from the intense focus he has on whatever else he’s working on.

3. The number of re-writes he goes through when working on a novel makes it seem like a totally exhausting process. When he’s completed around four re-writes he then seeks views from trusted sources (notably his wife) before launching into even more re-writes. Then he gets the text translated from Japanese to English �� using a tried and tested (to him) translator �� and only then will he provide a copy to an editor. Then the work with the editor begins��

4. He uses a process of filing away useful pieces of information or thoughts into mental cabinets �� he doesn’t write this stuff down. When he’s got enough information stored �� but not before �� he’ll begin writing. For his novels he hoards his most preciously guarded cabinets.

5. He runs every day for about an hour and has done for thirty years. He believes that for him to write successfully he has to take care of his body as well as his mind. Note: his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running was an inspiration for me to complete my first ultramarathon, something he’s done on a number of occasions.

Overall, a fascinating insight into the mind of this wonderful and, I think, truly original author.

My thanks to Random House UK for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.