Published: 1996 (Iwanami Shoten) Setting: A Room Summary: Haruki Murakami and Hayao Kawai sat down in 1996, and the transcript of their conversation informs the reader as to what they think about life, love, violence, the novel, and psychotherapy among other topics. This conversation lends particularly crucial insight into Kawai’s sand play methods, as well asContinue reading “Haruki Murakami goes to meet Hayao Kawai”
Category Archives: 1990’s
Sputnik Sweetheart-Haruki Murakami
Published: 1999 (Kodansha) Setting: Tokyo, Greece Summary: This short novel packs a powerful punch of longing and desperation. The narrator “K” chronicles the torrid and star-crossed love affair between Miu, a 40-year-old Korean woman who has pure white hair, and Sumire, the woman he loves. K’s backstory isn’t so important, this novel is about Sumire and Miu. SumireContinue reading “Sputnik Sweetheart-Haruki Murakami”
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle-Haruki Murakami
Published: 1994 (Shinchosha) Setting: Manchuria, Tokyo Summary: Toru Okada has a serene marriage with his wife, Kumiko, and their cat Noburu Wataya. Toru is unemployed and unaware that he out of touch with his wife. He meets a teenage girl, May Kasahara, who is obsessed with death but has an interest in Toru that takes center stage overContinue reading “The Wind-up Bird Chronicle-Haruki Murakami”
South of the Border, West of the Sun-Haruki Murakami
Published: 1992 (Kodansha) Setting: Tokyo, Hakone Summary: An only-child, Hajime, is a 12-year-old boy who falls in love with a girl named Shimamoto at the age of twelve. Shimamoto, who also an only child, is he first love. They separate before high school and eventually find their way back to each other through their love of jazz andContinue reading “South of the Border, West of the Sun-Haruki Murakami”
Dance Dance Dance-Haruki Murakami
Published: 1994 (Kodansha) Setting: Tokyo, Hokkaido, Honolulu, Hakone Summary: In the fourth and final installment of the “Trilogy of the Rat”, Murakami answers the question, what happens after you lose everything? He answers this by positing that all you need to do is dance in step with what is going on around you. I, theContinue reading “Dance Dance Dance-Haruki Murakami”
Will Reviews Things 