dr_orby 's review for:

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

5.0

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If you described this book’s entire plot to me, I would roll my eyes and decide it wasn’t worth the read. However, that is so far from the case. Murakami’s novel is beautifully written, and I was so invested in even the banalities of the main character’s life. I felt I was going on a spiritual and magical journey far before I realized it. Murakami’s thesis that transformation comes in many forms is beautifully explained through metaphor—and I mean this in more ways than one (no spoilers!) Killing Commendatore made me feel so deeply my chest hurt, and I cried as I finished, growing so attached to all of the characters and their journeys that I cried not only because I would miss them, but also out of joy and pride for the strides they had made. As an avid avoider of long novels (in fact, I put this down several times simply when life for in the way) this is definitely worth the almost 1000 pages.