Published: 1964 (Kodansha) Setting: 1960’s Osaka Summary: In this follow-up to Abe’s award-winning novel, The Woman in the Dunes, a leading plastics scientist’s face becomes disfigured from a chemical burn, spiraling him into isolation and alienation from others and his past self. This novel is split into three journals which the unnamed scientist uses to explain to hisContinue reading “The Face of Another-Kobo Abe”
Category Archives: Literature
The Woman In The Dunes-Kobo Abe
Published: 1962 (submitted to Yomiuri Prize) Setting: An unnamed coastal fishing village Summary: This Yomiuri Prize winning novel begins and ends in a dream like sandscape, a place where sand accumulates like time and swallows the visitor whole. Jumpei, an entomologist looking for the next new insect to classify, stumbles upon a desolate village with aContinue reading “The Woman In The Dunes-Kobo Abe”
1Q84-Haruki Murakami
Published: 2009-10 (Shinchosha) Setting: Tokyo, Yamanashi Summary: Murakami’s epic starts and ends with a tunnel that connects reality and fantasy. This nexus is where Murakami has thrived in his career. 1Q84 explores the nature of reality, of religion in modern society, and the twists of fate which tie humans together. The three principal characters in this movie are a personalContinue reading “1Q84-Haruki Murakami”
Haruki Murakami goes to meet Hayao Kawai
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”
Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock-Jesse Jarnow
Published: 2012 (Penguin) Setting: The World, Maxwell’s Summary: Jesse Jarnow’s book on the history of Yo La Tengo (YLT) blends the rise of Indie Rock and the rise of Ira, Georgia, and James. Their respective rises often happened in tandem and in parallel spaces, YLT was just over the river from the main scene in NYCContinue reading “Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock-Jesse Jarnow”
The Nineties-Chuck Klosterman
Published: 2022 (Penguin) Setting: Chuck Klosterman’s Mind Summary: Chuck Klosterman recaps and dissects the Nineties as a feeling, not as a stated fact in his newest book, The Nineties. Weaving cultural analysis, political commentary, and personal experience Klosterman paints a picture of the Nineties with a deft hand and an inquisitive mind. Klosterman is interested in how theContinue reading “The Nineties-Chuck Klosterman”
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking-Malcolm Gladwell
Published: 2005 (Little, Brown and Company) Setting: Gladwell’s Brain Summary: Blink is a study about “thin slicing”, how we make snap decisions, when we are most used to making them, and what they mean. Gladwell produces economic and psychological case studies which explore the phenomenon of seconds and the decisions we make within them. Police shootings, marbleContinue reading “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking-Malcolm Gladwell”
After Dark-Haruki Murakami
Published: 2004 (Kodansha) Setting: Tokyo Summary: A dark night full of mystery, love hotels, and Denny’s brings an entangled web of insomniacs together in this short novel by Haruki Murakami. Mari is a college student about to go to Beijing as a foreign exchange student, who runs into a young man named Takahashi who she has met onceContinue reading “After Dark-Haruki Murakami”
Kafka on the Shore-Haruki Murakami
Published: 2002 (Shinchosha) Setting: Tokyo, Takamatsu, Kochi Summary: Kafka Tamura is a 15-year-old boy with an Oedipal curse hanging over his head. He is supposed to kill his father, and sleep with his long-lost sister and mother. He runs away from home to escape this fate, from Tokyo to Takamatsu, and along the way he meets his “sister”Continue reading “Kafka on the Shore-Haruki Murakami”
Don’t Put Me In, Coach-Mark Titus
Published: 2012 (Anchor Sports) Setting: Columbus, Ohio Summary: Mark Titus’s rollicking adventure as a walk-on superstar for the Ohio State Buckeyes is one worth following. He benchwarmed, pranked, and shit his way to minor fame as the most interesting walk-on in college basketball. Titus’s humility and humor shine, and his keen awareness of the flow ofContinue reading “Don’t Put Me In, Coach-Mark Titus”
Will Reviews Things 