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madradian 's review for:
Wind/ Pinball: Two Novels
by Haruki Murakami
I'm not quite sure how to review this collection. I absolute love Murakami's work. I started with Colorless Tsukuru Tazakai and His Years of Pilgrimage and moved on from there. While I recognize the value of these early writings I found them a bit tedious to work through.
In typical Murakami fashion not much happens throughout the novels(novellas really) but the character development is stressed. While in Murakami's later works like Color Tsukuru Tazakai and Kafka On The Shore this development feels rewarding it was not quite the same in Hear The Wind Sing, and Pinball, 1973. These stories tell short excerpts in the life of an unnamed narrator. The narrator is also friends with a character named the Rat who is rich and seems to not know what to do with his life. Together the Narrator and the Rat spend most of their time drinking, talking, thinking, and regretting.
There are very compelling moments in these stories such as: "Talking about the dead is hard, more so talking about those who died young. That’s because having died, they are young forever. However those of us left behind grow older, year by year, month by month, day by day. Sometimes I even feel myself getting older by the hour. And what is really scary is that it’s actually happening."
but for the most part I found myself wondering "Why am I supposed to care about these men?" I believe the sense of loneliness and isolation in Murakami's writings allows the reader to explore their own existential ponderings vicariously through the lives of all of his characters.
Another issue I've noticed in most of Murakami's writing is sexism. In Pinball,1973 there are two characters known as the Twins. The Narrator awakens one morning to find two twin sisters in his bed. He cannot tell them apart except for the fact that they wear two sweaters that read: 208, and 209. These characters seem to have almost no purpose, except, to cook, clean, and give the Narrator a few feelings.
I am giving this collection 3 stars. I'd like to give it 2.5 but I cannot on Goodreads. The novels have something compelling about them and you can certainly see early glimpses of what Murakami will grow into as a writer, but they feel unpolished. Which makes sense as they are his first published works. They are worth picking up if you are looking for something to read or an avid fan of Murakmai, but they are a bit dry.
In typical Murakami fashion not much happens throughout the novels(novellas really) but the character development is stressed. While in Murakami's later works like Color Tsukuru Tazakai and Kafka On The Shore this development feels rewarding it was not quite the same in Hear The Wind Sing, and Pinball, 1973. These stories tell short excerpts in the life of an unnamed narrator. The narrator is also friends with a character named the Rat who is rich and seems to not know what to do with his life. Together the Narrator and the Rat spend most of their time drinking, talking, thinking, and regretting.
There are very compelling moments in these stories such as: "Talking about the dead is hard, more so talking about those who died young. That’s because having died, they are young forever. However those of us left behind grow older, year by year, month by month, day by day. Sometimes I even feel myself getting older by the hour. And what is really scary is that it’s actually happening."
but for the most part I found myself wondering "Why am I supposed to care about these men?" I believe the sense of loneliness and isolation in Murakami's writings allows the reader to explore their own existential ponderings vicariously through the lives of all of his characters.
Another issue I've noticed in most of Murakami's writing is sexism. In Pinball,1973 there are two characters known as the Twins. The Narrator awakens one morning to find two twin sisters in his bed. He cannot tell them apart except for the fact that they wear two sweaters that read: 208, and 209. These characters seem to have almost no purpose, except, to cook, clean, and give the Narrator a few feelings.
I am giving this collection 3 stars. I'd like to give it 2.5 but I cannot on Goodreads. The novels have something compelling about them and you can certainly see early glimpses of what Murakami will grow into as a writer, but they feel unpolished. Which makes sense as they are his first published works. They are worth picking up if you are looking for something to read or an avid fan of Murakmai, but they are a bit dry.