Murakami!

The first time I came across Murakami was when a former student recommended a book – What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I remember devouring the book! I couldn’t put it down. It’s a memoir in which he talks about his interest in long-distance running. After reading this book, I felt a strong desire to keep reading his books. I also felt inclined to run as much as I could. I ordered First Person Singular, a collection of eight stories, about love and loss, childhood, death, and many other subjects that permeate our lives. I thoroughly enjoyed each story. I was legitimately hooked after finishing this book!

Fast forward a few years. I am browsing through bookshelves in a bookstore, all in Serbian and just enjoying being surrounded by so many great books written by so many great authors! A lot of these books are used, and with used books there is a peculiar aroma that is mesmerizing and poignant. A certain quality that is hard to describe. As I am having this special experience, I happen to pull a book from the shelf and see, to my utter astonishment, that it’s Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, in English! I ask the lady working there how it ended up here and all she could muster was an ‘I don’t know’. I bought the book for peanuts, and it felt like I had discovered a goldmine!

Norwegian Wood is one of the most special books I have ever read. It’s one of those books that you had heard about for so long, but never managed to read. Until now. It was an emotional rollercoaster; it took me to places that I never knew existed! The way it captures the music and ethos of the sixties is brilliant. Murakami has a way to reach some compartments in your heart that you thought were unreachable. It left me gasping for air. It was a tour de force that left me pondering some things that never have a clear answer. Things that can’t have a clear answer!

“I really like you, Midori. A lot.”

“How much is a lot?”

“Like a spring bear,” I said.

“A spring bear?” Midori looked up again. “What’s that all about? A spring bear.”

“You’re walking through a field all by yourself one day in spring, and this sweet little bear cub with velvet fur and shiny little eyes comes walking along. And he says to you, “Hi, there, little lady. Want to tumble with me?’ So you and the bear cub spend the whole day in each other’s arms, tumbling down this clover-covered hill. Nice, huh?”

“Yeah. Really nice.”

“That’s how much I like you.”

- Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Next came Kafka on the Shore. Over five-hundred pages that I kept flipping and couldn’t put the book down. A real page-turner! It is a story of two different worlds, consciousness and unconsciousness. It’s a dream-like narrative where there are so many loose ends and it’s hard to put it all together. That’s exactly what makes Murakami great; he leaves the reader to interpret the whys and whats! This is his forte. He doesn’t give it away. You make your conclusions. Anyhow, there was a constant flow of realizations and emotions while reading this book. It took a lot out of me!

“Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That's part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads - at least that's where I imagine it - there's a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our own heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in awhile, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you'll live forever in your own private library.”

― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

South of the Border, West of the Sun completed the trifecta! It was the shortest one from the ones I mentioned, but it was jam-packed with a lot Murakamiesque aromas that are impossible to replicate. The idiosyncrasy in his writing is palpable! It gave me shivers on numerous occasions. It made me reflect on some buried things from the past. Some of the details were uncannily relatable, to the point that I wanted to close the book, but I just couldn't. His open-ended twists and turns, the subtleties that are not subtle at all, the way music is omnipresent, the way his characters are living between light and shadow, it all made this book scream quality!

“For a long time, she held a special place in my heart. I kept this special place just for her, like a "Reserved" sign on a quiet corner table in a restaurant. Despite the fact that I was sure I'd never see her again.”

― Haruki Murakami, South of the Border, West of the Sun

I have definitely overdosed on Murakami. I need a break! Nonetheless, these three books have left a lasting imprint on my mind and soul. I will never forget them. Everyone should read at least one of his books! Once you do that, it’s practically impossible to stop there. Murakami is a magnetic force! This is my collection so far, but I am sure it will grow. Some things never stop growing.

KEYWORDS/KEYPHRASES

-devour: to eat something eagerly and in large amounts so that nothing is left

-to be hooked: enjoying something so much that you are unable to stop having it, watching it, doing it, etc.

-poignant: suggests something is sharply or piercingly effective in stirring one's emotions

-for peanuts: For a very paltry or minuscule amount of money

-emotional rollercoaster: To be experiencing swift and sudden changes in one's mood or feelings.

-ethos: the spirit of a time or society

-tour de force: an achievement or performance that shows great skill and attracts admiration

-page-turner: a book that is so exciting that you want to read it quickly

-trifecta: A set or combination of three things

-idiosyncrasy: a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual

-omnipresent: present in all places at all times