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A lot of sex scenes with a 15yo boy, whom a girl he randomly met on a street let him stayed at her apartment (she's 20+) gave him a hand job then told him she wished she was his sister; he also had sex with a 50yo lady who is his mother. Also had multiple sex scenes with women who are asleep.
There's absurdism styles in stories but this one is just fucked up.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Mental illness
I immensely enjoyed this novel, but having said that there are parts of it that I loathed. I loved the magical realism and how seamlessly it was woven into the story. There's something about the writing and how surreal things are that sucked me in and kept me turning page after page. I enjoyed the abstraction of reality and surprisingly enjoyed that the puzzle is left up to one's own interpretation for the most part.
But on the other end of the spectrum there are parts of this novel where I rolled my eyes, visibly cringed and wondered if I was even reading the same author. There are scene's that go into an absurd level of detail, often very awkward or crude, detail. Some of the characters feel more like vessels to spit out philosophy than they do actual people or are simply tools for the plot and feel paper thin. The biggest thing though is definitely the way sexuality and the commentary around it is written. The writing of this book is damn near lyrical, until it comes to sexuality and women and the jarring crudeness of that contrast sticks out like a sore thumb.
I hate the notion of "Its great if you just ignore x, y, and z", but that's legitimately how I felt about this. It is what it is. 4 Nakata's out of 5.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder
This is so well written, and so deep. But it's one that I find hard to connect with and uncomfortable to think about. Murakami is always exploring depressive/traumatic taboo in his novels but this one takes the cake of any I've read so far. It was extremely difficult to read chapters 16, 29, and 39. I would put a huge TW on those particular chapters. If you haven't read Murakami before, then go into it like you would a horror genre. He does not write horror, but he sure isn't afraid to get icky.
Also, after finishing, I'm still not really sure how some of the pieces connect or if they are even supposed to. The beginning was very five-star for me but it went in a different direction than it appeared to be headed at first.
I didn't love the experience of this book but it is still good, if that makes sense. It's hard to say I recommend it because of the content (
My favorite bits include the idea of a lighter shadow, conversing with cats, and the less-human inner self taking the form of a crow.
My least favorite parts include the entirety of the three chapters mentioned above.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Incest
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Blood
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Rape
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Blood