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A review by clairealex
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
5.0
If this novel hadn't been recommended by someone whose taste usually agrees with mine, the 1100+ pages might have turned me off. However, my attention was held from the beginning. About halfway through it became a page-turner, though at that number of pages, no way I could finish it in one day.
What I admire most about 1Q84 is the pacing. Murakami indicates a crisis is approaching then dangles it through pages and pages of description, memory, and other detail, all of which holds its own tension. (I noted only two times that that tension was missing--not bad for so many total pages.) I also found myself swaying back and forth between two hypotheses for the ending--undecided till the very end.
For the most part, the novel is structured with chapters alternating between perspectives of Aomame and Tengo, though a third is added in the final section. These chapters are not strictly chronological, but the cues are adequate to show where to place them in time. At first the two perspectives are separate, but gradually they merge. At first the hints of overlap are subtle, then Murakami starts using names in a way that confirms suppositions. Murakami uses a few other techniques to keep a reader oriented through the long novel: minor characters are not given names, but nicknamed by features (Buzzcut, Ponytail). Also when a named character has not been active for a while, there is an unobtrusive reminder of what they had done the last time they were active.
The main value of the novel is story, but there are also ideas to ponder as characters consider meaning and reality, ideas that could be pursued more on a rereading
What I admire most about 1Q84 is the pacing. Murakami indicates a crisis is approaching then dangles it through pages and pages of description, memory, and other detail, all of which holds its own tension. (I noted only two times that that tension was missing--not bad for so many total pages.) I also found myself swaying back and forth between two hypotheses for the ending--undecided till the very end.
For the most part, the novel is structured with chapters alternating between perspectives of Aomame and Tengo, though a third is added in the final section. These chapters are not strictly chronological, but the cues are adequate to show where to place them in time. At first the two perspectives are separate, but gradually they merge. At first the hints of overlap are subtle, then Murakami starts using names in a way that confirms suppositions. Murakami uses a few other techniques to keep a reader oriented through the long novel: minor characters are not given names, but nicknamed by features (Buzzcut, Ponytail). Also when a named character has not been active for a while, there is an unobtrusive reminder of what they had done the last time they were active.
The main value of the novel is story, but there are also ideas to ponder as characters consider meaning and reality, ideas that could be pursued more on a rereading
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Xenophobia, Murder, War
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy