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A review by rachelcdm
1Q84: Book One and Book Two by Haruki Murakami
4.0
So.
Wow.
This book took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to read, and not because I didn’t enjoy it! There were two things hindering my progress reading this novel. 1) the slow and repetitive nature of the book. And 2) uni deadlines did put this on the back burner for the better part of a month.
Let’s get stuck in.
This is the second Murakami book I’ve read and I think I am kind of in love with his twisted style of storytelling and the strange messages that are portrayed through a combination of magical realism, mundanity and batshit craziness.
It’s a really odd mixture, one scene our protagonist is chopping up vegetables for dinner musing about his relationship with his father, next chapter our other protagonist deals with serial rapists and little people crawling out from the mouths of sleeping girls.
It’s trippy.
So, what is 1Q84 about? Well… I’m not entirely sure, (I’ve yet to read the third instalment.) But my own interpretation is that it’s about the power of storytelling - ‘Air Chrysalis,’ ‘The Town of Cats’ and Tengo’s conversations with Komatsu and his father respectively illustrate that. It’s about what we perceive to be morally acceptable - what is good and evil, right and wrong? Aomome is a murderer but she kills bad people, does that make her a hero or villain or both? Tengo’s relationship with the young Fuki-Eri is described in such detail to make the reader uncomfortable but then seems to be excused/justified by the author. Is this intentional? It’s about religion and free thinking. Cults and religion are described in not the holiest of lights.
1Q84 is a slow burner and it’s repetitive in places, it’s also wildly imaginative and creepy and introspective and did I mention unsettling? Murakami’s fascination with young girls and balding men is quite something.
I enjoyed it but didn’t love it as much as ‘After Dark’ but I’m definitely going to read more of his works. 3.5 stars.
Wow.
This book took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to read, and not because I didn’t enjoy it! There were two things hindering my progress reading this novel. 1) the slow and repetitive nature of the book. And 2) uni deadlines did put this on the back burner for the better part of a month.
Let’s get stuck in.
This is the second Murakami book I’ve read and I think I am kind of in love with his twisted style of storytelling and the strange messages that are portrayed through a combination of magical realism, mundanity and batshit craziness.
It’s a really odd mixture, one scene our protagonist is chopping up vegetables for dinner musing about his relationship with his father, next chapter our other protagonist deals with serial rapists and little people crawling out from the mouths of sleeping girls.
It’s trippy.
So, what is 1Q84 about? Well… I’m not entirely sure, (I’ve yet to read the third instalment.) But my own interpretation is that it’s about the power of storytelling - ‘Air Chrysalis,’ ‘The Town of Cats’ and Tengo’s conversations with Komatsu and his father respectively illustrate that. It’s about what we perceive to be morally acceptable - what is good and evil, right and wrong? Aomome is a murderer but she kills bad people, does that make her a hero or villain or both? Tengo’s relationship with the young Fuki-Eri is described in such detail to make the reader uncomfortable but then seems to be excused/justified by the author. Is this intentional? It’s about religion and free thinking. Cults and religion are described in not the holiest of lights.
1Q84 is a slow burner and it’s repetitive in places, it’s also wildly imaginative and creepy and introspective and did I mention unsettling? Murakami’s fascination with young girls and balding men is quite something.
I enjoyed it but didn’t love it as much as ‘After Dark’ but I’m definitely going to read more of his works. 3.5 stars.