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swanwords's review against another edition
I couldn't finish this book. I have a number of complaints, chief among them is Haruki Murakami's complete and utter lack of understanding of PEOPLE. While I understand sometimes words get lost in translation, Murakami's writing skills seem to be afflicted more by his inadequate character development than translation errors.
The book is partially based on the Oedpius complex. However, it reads like a hollow story about, well... nothing. Another person in these reviews said that none of the characters in the book seem to understand that they are dealing with a 15-year-old and I couldn't agree more. The author's side characters are devoid of emotions, especially guilt.Why wouldn't you call the police if a 15-year-old runaway shows up at your library? Why wouldn't you call the police after that 15-year-old is orphaned? Why would you molest a 15-year-old after he was just injured on the side of the road and had no one else to call? The characters in this book are senseless, like sad puppets in a boring play.
There were some moments where the book was mildly interesting and these mainly centered around the other character, Nakata. His story was engaging until he encountered an out-of-place character that kills cats (graphically). Murakami attempts to weave some sort of philosophical, fantastical meaning into this man's life but fails. The book seriously DRAGS after Nakata's turning point.
Lastly, I think it's a well-known issue the way that Murakami talks about women and the fact that his novels are held in high regard "in spite of" is disappointing. The author outwardly criticizes all of his female characters and jests about the concerns of feminists. He fabricates feminist concerns as well, such as there being no female restroom in an all-gender restroom. Murakami's implicit biases are clearly a driving force in his literature and I find that his writing is not even close to being good enough for this to be excused.
The book is partially based on the Oedpius complex. However, it reads like a hollow story about, well... nothing. Another person in these reviews said that none of the characters in the book seem to understand that they are dealing with a 15-year-old and I couldn't agree more. The author's side characters are devoid of emotions, especially guilt.
There were some moments where the book was mildly interesting and these mainly centered around the other character, Nakata. His story was engaging until he encountered an out-of-place character that kills cats (graphically). Murakami attempts to weave some sort of philosophical, fantastical meaning into this man's life but fails. The book seriously DRAGS after Nakata's turning point.
Lastly, I think it's a well-known issue the way that Murakami talks about women and the fact that his novels are held in high regard "in spite of" is disappointing. The author outwardly criticizes all of his female characters and jests about the concerns of feminists. He fabricates feminist concerns as well, such as there being no female restroom in an all-gender restroom. Murakami's implicit biases are clearly a driving force in his literature and I find that his writing is not even close to being good enough for this to be excused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Misogyny
amymarchlawrence's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Gore, Blood, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Medical content
ericispublius's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A lot of mysteries in this piece, unraveled slowly unto the end — we walked away with some unanswered. Murakami knits a world that rhymes with ours, but is eerily different. He taps into Japanese folklore in a way that is easy to pick up for the novice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Incest, Transphobia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Violence
cephon's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
You can tell Murakami respects Oshima's identity as a trans man because if he didn't, the extent of his character would be about having sex with Kafka like with all the female characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
i_webb's review against another edition
1.0
Unbelievably bad. Took 2 separate holds in Libby to finish and ended zooming at 2.25x speed. Writing style was so boring. Worst worst worst. Love yourself and do not read ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Transphobia, Incest, and Pedophilia
lio_ramon_dolor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Violence, Death, Sexism, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: War
anamelon's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
One of those books where if there was an accidental fire in a library and this was the only book that was burnt, the library would actually become better.
This book was mostly a bunch of nonsensical drivel built up to look like a well put together castle meant to give you the impression that it is actually grand and outstanding.
Reading this was a huge waste of time. The writing itself was mediocre with no nuance or any type of impressive prose.
The only mildly interesting plot points were the initial interviews of the children fainting and following Nakata's journey and his dynamic with Hoshino, though even that turned quite insipid towards the end.
I can definitely see why Murakami is said to be the Colleen Hoover of Japan. Bad pacing, bad storytelling, flat characters, no real character to the story itself just an air of pretentiousness to the story made to make you think "this is so intellectual I could never understand it".
I always try finding any type of positivity from books I read, even those I hate with a passion like Prince Harry's "Spare" which was so bad to the point of hilarity, at least. I can't even say that for this book, just relies on a bunch of shock value one after the other to make it memorable in some way because God knows its writing isn't enough to be remarkable. Only time I've read Murakami and I wish for anyone else to spare themselves and not make the same mistake
This book was mostly a bunch of nonsensical drivel built up to look like a well put together castle meant to give you the impression that it is actually grand and outstanding.
Reading this was a huge waste of time. The writing itself was mediocre with no nuance or any type of impressive prose.
The only mildly interesting plot points were the initial interviews of the children fainting and following Nakata's journey and his dynamic with Hoshino, though even that turned quite insipid towards the end.
I can definitely see why Murakami is said to be the Colleen Hoover of Japan. Bad pacing, bad storytelling, flat characters, no real character to the story itself just an air of pretentiousness to the story made to make you think "this is so intellectual I could never understand it".
I always try finding any type of positivity from books I read, even those I hate with a passion like Prince Harry's "Spare" which was so bad to the point of hilarity, at least. I can't even say that for this book, just relies on a bunch of shock value one after the other to make it memorable in some way because God knows its writing isn't enough to be remarkable. Only time I've read Murakami and I wish for anyone else to spare themselves and not make the same mistake
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Animal cruelty
shebert's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I did not like this book. It did not sit well with me. I don't care that certain scenes are meant to be metaphors - they are gross.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, Incest, Murder, and Pedophilia
alec_i's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reading this book was like taking a step back from an image and watching the blur form something beautiful. For me, this book offered a smooth medicine for trauma and reflection on how to cope with difficult things, especially the challenge of how we grow from our own resultant character flaws. As a trans guy, I personally don’t mind the portrayal of a transmasc character and the truth there felt real. The misogynistic tones in this book, however, are destructive flaws that hurt the narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Misogyny
maizerbeam_16's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, and Misogyny