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When I first read Haruki Murakami’s debut novel, Hear the Wind Sing I was baffled by why he wrote so much about Derek Hartfield. I knew Hartfield was a writer he admired, but it seemed over the top to include such large portions of his work in a debut novel.

In this novel, he writes:

”H�����ٴھ������ has a short story called Martian Wells, which is one of his most unconventional works, almost suggesting the upcoming emergence of Bradbury. I read the book a long time ago and have forgotten the details, but here is the gist: It's a story about a young man who descends into countless bottomless wells on Mars. The wells were likely dug by Martians thousands of years ago. Strangely, these wells all cleverly avoid water veins. No one knows why they dug these wells.

In fact, aside from these wells, the Martians left nothing else. No writings, no houses, no utensils, no iron, no graves, no rockets, no towns, no vending machines, not even shells, no nothing. Only wells. Whether this can be called civilization is hard for Earth scholars to determine. Indeed, these wells are impeccably constructed; despite thousands of years passing, not a single brick has collapsed.

It goes without saying that several explorers and investigators have descended into the wells. Those with ropes had to return due to the wells being too deep and the horizontal passages being too long. Those without ropes never returned.

One day, a young man wandering the cosmos descended into a well. He was tired of the vastness of the universe and longed for a quiet death. As he descended, he felt the well becoming increasingly comfortable, and a strange force began to gently envelop his body. After descending about a kilometer, he found a suitable horizontal passage, entered it, and aimlessly walked along its winding paths. He had no idea how long he walked—his watch had stopped long ago. It could have been two hours, maybe two days. He felt no hunger or fatigue; the mysterious force still surrounded his body.

At some point, he suddenly saw daylight. The horizontal passage had connected to another well. He climbed along the well wall and returned to the surface. He sat by the well, gazing at the vast, unobstructed wilderness and then at the sun. Something had gone wrong! The breath of the wind, the sun... The sun, though at its zenith, had turned into a huge orange mass, like the setting sun."

Besides this passage, he mentions Hartfield several times in the novel. It's rare for any author to extensively quote another writer's work, even for Murakami. This might be the only instance.

Now, I finally understand his intent. First, we need to understand what this thin novel - is really about. What themes are hidden behind the seemingly chaotic reviews, descriptions, dialogues, memories, broadcasts, and music?

I believe it's about loneliness and the fragile connections between people. Of course, you might think differently. The novel is Murakami’s, and apart from me, there are millions of readers, including you, each with their interpretations.

On my third read of this novel, I felt a profound sense of loneliness - perhaps an unprecedented loneliness. The evidence is as follows:

1. The record store girl with only 9 fingers: the detached finger from her body;
2. The wandering girl "I" once took in: after a few days of passionate lovemaking, she silently left without even a note;
3. "My" college girlfriend, who died alone in a corner of the woods by the sports field that summer. The cause of death is unknown;
4. Rat (“my�� friend) talking about a story he wants to write: a shipwreck, survival, he and she drifting in the ocean, swimming in opposite directions (one toward an island, the other toward land), meeting years later in a bar;
5. After that summer, “I�� went to Tokyo for school and never saw the record store girl again (Why was she drunk in the bar initially? Why was she traveling alone (or having an abortion)? Why did she leave the city? Why did Murakami say she had a twin sister?);
6. On the radio, a girl dedicates a song for "me," asking for an old record she lent “me”years ago. After “I”bought the same new record, “I�� couldn't find her.

So, I say this is a novel about loneliness. What makes it beautiful is the pervasive subtle sadness (you can call it "loneliness") throughout the story.

Returning to the initial question - why does Hear the Wind Sing extensively quote Hartfield, especially his short story Martian Wells?

On January 15, 2003, Murakami’s long-time Chinese translator, Lin Shaohua, met Murakami for the first time. In the preface to the Chinese edition of Kafka on the Shore, Lin wrote, ”During our chat, he was in high spirits. An hour later, I asked him several questions in an interview format. One of the questions was about loneliness.

”Life is essentially lonely, but at the same time, you can communicate with others through the channel of loneliness," Murakami continued. ”People always enter their world alone, and at the deepest point, a sense of connection arises. Or, people dig deep into their own holes; if they keep digging, they'll connect with others somewhere."

This immediately reminded me of Hartfield’s Martian Wells. ”No one knows why they dug these wells. In fact, aside from these wells, the Martians left nothing else... Whether this can be called civilization is hard for Earth scholars to determine... Those with ropes had to return due to the wells being too deep and the horizontal passages being too long. Those without ropes never returned." And ”At some point, he suddenly saw daylight. The horizontal passage had connected to another well. He climbed along the well wall and returned to the surface."

People, in their deep loneliness, connect with others somewhere. Only then can they return to the surface. Murakami'’s Sputnik Sweetheart note: Sputnik means "travel companion" in Russian; Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the Soviet Union, and Sputnik 2 carried the dog Laika and was not recovered) wrote two strange stories, like dreams - no, like fantasies - unbelievable stories. Hartfield, too, wrote Martian Wells with wild imagination.

Murakami always says his intention in writing novels is to communicate with others through loneliness. He chose an unusual way, through seemingly far-fetched imagination. He says, ”Everyone has an imagination; the difficult part is approaching that place, finding the door, opening it, entering, and then returning. If readers resonate with my books, they have the same world as mine."

Murakami found Harrfield’s well on Mars, and I found his Sputnik satellite. So, we are connected somewhere deep in the well, sharing the same world.

4.6 / 5 stars

My other reviews of Murakami's Work:
The City and Its Uncertain Walls
Norwegian Wood
1Q84
Hear the Wind Sing
Kafka on the Shore
Sputnik Sweetheart
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
South of the Border, West of the Sun
After Dark