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A review by jentang
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
4.0
i quite enjoyed this little compilation of eccentric stories. beyond the fact that nearly every character seemed to be in a passionless relationship (though admittedly i would take this shared factor over the one found in "men without women"), there really wasn't much repetition, which always is key for a refreshing short story read. anyways, here's my personal rating breakdown :)
1-3 stars: the wind-up bird and tuesday's women (bizarre in a why-am-i-really-reading-this way, features the classic easily detestable murakami male); the second bakery attack (silly with unexpected plot developments, but again a bit meaninglessly bizarre); TV people (this one just didn't hold my focus); the fall of the roman empire, the 1881 indian uprising, hitler's invasion of poland, and the realm of the raging winds (perhaps i'd have appreciated this more if i were a bigger history buff); family affair (well-written, but thanks to personal connections i found the subject matter uncomfortable)
3-4.75 stars: the kangaroo communiqué (odd, but i thought the concept was interesting); the silence (IMO, the most straightforward story in this book); lederhosen (women recognizing their worth is so slay, but the delivery wasn't quite grabbing, similar to the silence in retrospect); barn burning (this was a really cool piece); the dancing dwarf (again a really cool piece, but the ending felt amateur and underwhelming); a window (short, simple, well-written, classic); a slow boat to china (i'm allowed to find this one greatly comical because i'm chinese)
5 stars: on seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful april morning (i really loved this one); sleep (i view this story in pretty high regard given that murakami was finally able to construct a non overly sexualized female protagonist who i found both extremely realistic and relatable. additionally, it was neat how present russian literature was in this piece); the little green monster (a very silly, quick read that really scratched an itch for me. i enjoy the freedom of readers to choose between feeling heartache for the little monster, or empowering pride for the woman); the elephant vanishes (the story with the story's title, and it did not disappoint)
1-3 stars: the wind-up bird and tuesday's women (bizarre in a why-am-i-really-reading-this way, features the classic easily detestable murakami male); the second bakery attack (silly with unexpected plot developments, but again a bit meaninglessly bizarre); TV people (this one just didn't hold my focus); the fall of the roman empire, the 1881 indian uprising, hitler's invasion of poland, and the realm of the raging winds (perhaps i'd have appreciated this more if i were a bigger history buff); family affair (well-written, but thanks to personal connections i found the subject matter uncomfortable)
3-4.75 stars: the kangaroo communiqué (odd, but i thought the concept was interesting); the silence (IMO, the most straightforward story in this book); lederhosen (women recognizing their worth is so slay, but the delivery wasn't quite grabbing, similar to the silence in retrospect); barn burning (this was a really cool piece); the dancing dwarf (again a really cool piece, but the ending felt amateur and underwhelming); a window (short, simple, well-written, classic); a slow boat to china (i'm allowed to find this one greatly comical because i'm chinese)
5 stars: on seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful april morning (i really loved this one); sleep (i view this story in pretty high regard given that murakami was finally able to construct a non overly sexualized female protagonist who i found both extremely realistic and relatable. additionally, it was neat how present russian literature was in this piece); the little green monster (a very silly, quick read that really scratched an itch for me. i enjoy the freedom of readers to choose between feeling heartache for the little monster, or empowering pride for the woman); the elephant vanishes (the story with the story's title, and it did not disappoint)