Reviews with content warning for Rape - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

A lot of unanswered questions.

I liked the introspective elements a lot, quite frankly they were the most relatable parts, even if at times the main character can be wayyyy too morose. There are a few triggering subject matters, that I typically avoid in books and media, but other than that I don't know what to make of the book tbh. It was... I don't know. Not an immediate like or dislike, it just very much so exists.

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kaylamoran's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is such a hard book to rate, as there were things I loved and things I hated.

I hated the way the story centered on a fake rape accusation. I really don't think that's a helpful narrative, and it wasn't necessary for the story. Tsukuru could have been shunned for any number of reasons. I also found it a bit frustrating how seemingly cheating wasn't a red flag? Why would Kuro tell Tsukuru to fight for a woman with another boyfriend?

Ultimately I related to Tsukuru in many ways, and I was really rooting for him. Usually slow paced books with a ton of descriptors bore me, but that didn't happen here. I do wish Murakami spent a bit less energy describing women's breasts though.

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mercurue's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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felicityjoy's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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mybook_shelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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charlie29's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

let me start by saying that this book has an open ending. So many things are left unexplained (the ones that are, aren't even enough to explain all the shit that went down in this damn book)

Who the fuck killed Shiro, was the story of Haida’s father even real, was Haida even a real, living person at all, and if he was where on earth did he go? just to name a few of the plot holes

also, this book is heavy on sexualizing women: I couldn't bear to read it at certain times, Tsukuru’s imagination and all his dreams were disgusting, period. The way he thinks about his so-called "girl best friends" is straight-up disturbing and thank God they were his best friends, could you imagine if they weren't?
Apart from all that, if you survive reading the first 80 pages, it's a fast-paced book, but don't expect this gigantic revelation cause you aren't going to find it. It has a nice and reflective part: the loss of self-identity and finding yourself, but it's all pretty empty.

I also hated that the whole reason behind the friendship break-up is a girl faking a rape, like isn't it enough to live in a real-life society where girls that get raped are not believed? So to make the whole plot twist about a girl getting raped and for once being believed, but only to find out that it wasn't true, is pretty upsetting

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sooreads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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