Sunday 2 June 2013

Review: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.


Book: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Author: Haruki Murakami

Pages: My edition has 607 pages.

How long it took me to finish: A week almost, though I read my Murakami books slower to make them last longer! :)

Plot Summary: On the face of it, this book is the story of Toru Okada and his quest to find his missing cat. Toru Okada lives a quiet life cooking pasta, listening to classical music, reading books and contemplating his next move in life, he has recently quit his job at a law firm and is not sure what his next step in life is. He is presently unemployed and a stay-at-home husband. Life isn't too bad. Sure his cat is missing and his life Kumiko is a little distant and really wants him to find the cat. The search for the cat brings new people in his life and their stories and quirks makes most part of the book. There is also a woman who makes obscene phone-calls to Toru and this woman sounds familiar but Toru doens't know who she is. The story really isn't even that important, as in any Murakami book it's the writing that is the star.

Characters: There is Toru Okada of course. There is wife Kumiko, a working woman who has an interesting family background and story herself. Then there are the Kano sisters, Malta and Creta, part psychic, part cat finders, part plain wierd. There is May Kasahara, a 16 year old who is skipping school as she recovers from a tragic motorcycle accident that killed her bad-boy love interest. I loved May's character best- she is spunky and speaks her mind and I absolutely loved her bits of the book. There is also Noboru Wataya, Kumiko's brother who is a celebrated Economist and gaining popularity on TV as a frequent guest on debate shows and is also gearing up for a career as a politician. He is a sticky character though as sounds vile from the first time he is mentioned.

What I liked: The writing. As as Murakami book, his writing style is genius. A work of wonder. A word of art. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way this man writes. Even the simplest of things sound nothing short of magic when he pens it. There are portions in this book for instance, where is describing Toru Okada cook something basic like a stir fry, not only did this make me starve for some stir fry, the way in which he wrote it made it seem like someone making dinner more than a plain chore. Ah! Murakami has a way with words...read his books to experience the spell he casts.

What I didn't like: Hmmm...I disliked very little, but this is one of my favourite authors so I wouldn't mind reading him writing about scum. Seriously, if he wrote about scum I'd read it! :) That being said this isn't my favourite Murakami book. I loved it but somewhere in the last 100 pages I was lets just say a little listless. The story had moved into an entirely different sphere by this point and there were new characters and Toru Okada's life had just become something unrecognizable. I loved the first half of the book wayyyyyyyyyy better than the second half.

General Thoughts: I overall did enjoy the book and loved the writing and world it creates. An excellent book really. Oodles of strangeness and magical realism. There are also other Murakami staples in this book, mentions of the war, cats, classical music, food and cooking. All things good...well maybe except the war!

Would you like it? Well, if you like well-written books, this one is for you. However, if you mind magical realism, then this one is definitely one to miss.

Rating: 4/5

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