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pro_ble_matic 's review for:
The City and Its Uncertain Walls
by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not my favorite of Murakami's, but still thought provoking and had me questioning at multiple points "is this real, or is this shadow?" Ultimately, it was always yes to both questions at the same time.
What I found particular is that I was bored when we were in the other reality, and much preferred the true reality of his life as head librarian in that small mountain village. This may just be me having a preference for slice of life works over fantasy, and reflecting back on past books from Murakami that I have loved, I think I have always leaned more towards the slice of life portions in his writing.
"'Once a person passes through and goes inside, they can't ever go outside again. The wall doesn't allow it. That's the rule.'" (pg36)
"'Your shadow will pass away before long. When the shadow dies, dark thoughts vanish, too, leaving behind a stillness.'" (pg38)
"My shadow spoke. 'I've said this before, but can't you consider that maybe here, she's only a shadow, and that the girl outside the wall is the real person?'" (pg101)
"'Human emotions. Sadness, confusion, jealousy, fear distress, despair, doubt, hatred, bewilderment, anguish, skepticism, self-pity... and dreams, and love. In this town, feelings are not just useless but harmful. Like seeds of an epidemic.'" (pg103)
"I suddenly knew: The wall was able to freely change its shape and location. It could move anywhere it wanted to. And the wall had decided not to let us get out." (pg119)
"Is this world inside the high brick wall? Or outside it?" (pg248)
"At that time neither you nor I had names. The radiant feelings of a seventeen-year-old and a sixteen-year-old on the grass of a riverbank, in the summer twilight, were the only things that mattered. Stars would soon be twinkling above us, and they have no names either. / Did you know that? The two of us are nothing more than someone else's shadows." (pg405-6)
"'Sometimes the shadow and the real person trade places, and trade roles. But whether you're the real you or your shadow, either way you're you. That's for sure. Instead of wondering which is real and which is the shadow, it might be best to think how each is the vital other self to the other.'" (pg439)
What I found particular is that I was bored when we were in the other reality, and much preferred the true reality of his life as head librarian in that small mountain village. This may just be me having a preference for slice of life works over fantasy, and reflecting back on past books from Murakami that I have loved, I think I have always leaned more towards the slice of life portions in his writing.
"'Once a person passes through and goes inside, they can't ever go outside again. The wall doesn't allow it. That's the rule.'" (pg36)
"'Your shadow will pass away before long. When the shadow dies, dark thoughts vanish, too, leaving behind a stillness.'" (pg38)
"My shadow spoke. 'I've said this before, but can't you consider that maybe here, she's only a shadow, and that the girl outside the wall is the real person?'" (pg101)
"'Human emotions. Sadness, confusion, jealousy, fear distress, despair, doubt, hatred, bewilderment, anguish, skepticism, self-pity... and dreams, and love. In this town, feelings are not just useless but harmful. Like seeds of an epidemic.'" (pg103)
"I suddenly knew: The wall was able to freely change its shape and location. It could move anywhere it wanted to. And the wall had decided not to let us get out." (pg119)
"Is this world inside the high brick wall? Or outside it?" (pg248)
"At that time neither you nor I had names. The radiant feelings of a seventeen-year-old and a sixteen-year-old on the grass of a riverbank, in the summer twilight, were the only things that mattered. Stars would soon be twinkling above us, and they have no names either. / Did you know that? The two of us are nothing more than someone else's shadows." (pg405-6)
"'Sometimes the shadow and the real person trade places, and trade roles. But whether you're the real you or your shadow, either way you're you. That's for sure. Instead of wondering which is real and which is the shadow, it might be best to think how each is the vital other self to the other.'" (pg439)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide