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As a huge fan of Haruki Murakami I was super excited when I heard about his new novel and dove right into it.

The story is set in a small town where everyone lives a peaceful but kind of dull life, like they’re all trapped by an invisible wall. This wall is both a physical and mental barrier, keeping everyone’s lives pretty much the same, with similar ups and downs. But underneath this calm surface, there’s a lot of uncertainty.

The main character, an ordinary young guy, lives a pretty bland life until he accidentally discovers the mysterious wall. This wall has some kind of magic that lets people see their deepest fears and desires. He starts exploring, trying to understand his own inner world.

As he goes on, he realizes that the wall isn’t just a wall; it’s a symbol of people’s fear and avoidance of the unknown. In this town, people are scared of change and uncertainty, so they choose to escape and confine themselves. But this escape doesn’t really solve anything; it just makes people lose themselves even more.

So, he decides to break down this wall. He faces his fears and anxieties head-on, trying to find his true self. He goes through a lot of challenges, but he never gives up.

Through this small town and the wall, Murakami shows the complexity of human nature and the real meaning of life. He tells us that facing uncertainty isn’t what’s scary; choosing to escape is. Only by bravely facing our inner selves can we find our true selves.

Murakami’s signature style is all over this book. You can see elements of his previous works everywhere: the town and the dream interpreter remind you of Norwegian Wood, the library and its stories remind me of Kafka on the Shore, and the first love of a 16 17-year-old remind you of South of the Border, West of the Sun. But this time, instead of focusing on external conflicts, he dives into the depths of his own psyche. Beyond the content, his writing style is as captivating as ever, and I’m still totally hooked.

Compared to his earlier works, this 1 feels gentler. It seems like there’s a sense of reconciliation between him and his older self.

I especially love the ending. I want to interpret it in a way that goes beyond fiction itself. From 1 angle, it can be seen as Murakami’s farewell, both as a writer and as a person, to his writing career and to life itself (even though he’s not at the end of his life yet).

When he takes that deep breath, the images that flood his mind might be a reenactment of his decades-long writing career or maybe a reflection of his 70 or 80 years of life. Among them are things he cherishes and protects.

”Believe that your alter ego exists. He will catch you.��

The ‘alter ego�� mentioned could refer to his successors, new writers, maybe newcomers to literary creation, or even new generations of humanity. In his last possible decade or two of life, Murakami expresses hope for the future. He believes that after he’s gone, his literature and other legacies won’t disappear. Instead, they’ll inspire others to create their own works, and his passion, willpower, idealism, imagination, and emotions will be passed on.

”Darkness fell. It was an extremely deep and incredibly soft darkness.��

The final darkness can be seen as his idea of death. Here, death loses its terrifying connotations. In a way, death also represents rebirth.

The boy with extraordinary intelligence but no emotions, and the narrator, who is ordinary but has emotions, together form a kind of perfection, an ideal, just like the airtight walls of the town.

The airtight town is our inner town; the ever-changing walls are also our inner walls. In fact, the walls are just our inner fears. How do we overcome fear? Murakami provides an answer in this book - belief. The power of belief.

Inside the walls and outside the walls, which is real and which is illusory? It’s hard to tell. Which is the true ‘I�� and which is the shadow? I don’t know. But what is certain is that the true ‘I�� and the shadow must become one. That is the complete ‘I,�� despite its imperfections. The shadow of the first love separated from the real person and disappeared without a trace, but the narrator can choose to find the other half that makes up his true self - either his physical form or shadow. And how does he find the other half of himself and become complete? Through belief.

In this novel, I felt a strong sense of farewell. Murakami will definitely keep writing until he’s too old, but given his age, how many more new books can we expect from him? But like him, I’m not a pessimist. I believe in things, I believe in the warm sunshine of tomorrow, and I believe that what he’s left to the world will become a seed, that it will survive the bitter cold of winter, and that in spring it will sprout and grow endlessly...

While I’m sad to see this era of his writing come to a close, I’m grateful for the countless hours of joy and contemplation his works have given me.

Thank you so much, my friend.

5 / 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