The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

by Jay Rubin

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Genres: Fiction, Japan

300 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Jay Rubin is an American academic and translator. He is most notable for being one of the main translators into English of the works of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. He has also written a guide to Japanese, Making Sense of Japanese, and a biographical literary analysis of Murakami.

Reviews

[Elana A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original story and the one dimensionality of characters lacking in 1Q84 isn't observed here perhaps as this book has far more first person narrative. Pretty dark content yet a likeable but mundane protagonist, disturbing and clever. Not sure if I would describe this as enjoyable but held my attention.

[LT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know if it is only me but I surely felt like I knew the characters in the book or the feeling that I got from reading the book, something. Obviously not in a bad way. I loved it, loved how nuanced but still Murakami’s world it seemed to be from. The human will and desire and the events of life that just happen, the interactions of two worlds - one inside us and the one apparent, the wins and losses that no one knows about, the half left stories, the random goodbyes, the heartaches that never tremble the world and the beauty of human interaction. Beauty at its best. Also I felt like a bit closer to my forever favourite character, Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger), especially with the “duck people” part. I hope everyone enjoys reading this and maybe ponders on the strangeness of the outwardly visible lives we share.

[Kenny Gunasekera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always found myself drawn to the bumbling male protagonists in Murakami's writing. In The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, I understand why the most clearly. His protagonists reflect the human experience of searching for meaning in the randomness of life. In this work, Murakami takes us on a journey with the protagonist to try to make sense of the strange, painful, and confusing experiences. What I love about this story -- beyond the beautiful writing -- is that ultimately, it is connection with others and love that give meaning to the protagonist's (and our) life. This isn't an easy read -- I gave up 2/3 of the way on my first go -- but I'm very glad to have finished it and been able to learn from it on my second round a few years later. It's not for everyone, but for those who could stand an experience of the protagonist hopping into a well for fifty pages to ruminate, it's well worth it.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely addictive and also strange. Very good.

[nini · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was a book I had struggled to read for nearly three years. Every attempt ended somewhere in Part One, where the slowness and strangeness felt impenetrable. This time, though, I finished it in just three days and that difference mattered. The book arrived at a moment when I was quietly unraveling, and instead of resisting it, I slipped into it. Murakami’s pacing, which once felt frustrating, now felt honest, mirroring the way emotional disintegration actually happens: slowly, quietly, without spectacle. I found myself relating deeply to Toru Okada — his passivity, his isolation, his fear of becoming hollow without fully realizing it. This wasn’t an easy or comforting read, but it felt necessary. Reading it now, I understood that this is not a book you choose; it’s a book that finds you when you’re ready to sit with discomfort, emptiness, and the fragile work of holding onto your inner self.

[Dorian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Murakami magic where the real and the surreal are existing side by side. Or intertwined. Don't overanalyze it.
I rate it low because the start was very slow. Once the Manchuria chapters picked up, I got invested though

[Zolidus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murakami have a very special writing style. I read that he wrote this when he lived in USA and every week he watched Twin Peaks and is a huge fan they say.

You can see the Twin Peaks inspired writing in the book. Central figure is a man that live his life and then things happens that tilt the world a little. Its weird and different and it create a surreal feeling.

What it gives me when I listen to the story is that I have no clue what is coming next. The book is deeply unpredictable and he also build themes that layer the story so in end it feels like the story stand like a methaphorical house that grows into more than one dimention.

The dream like style makes at least me not being bored listening to it. Good food for a bored brain.

I think its difficult to recommend a book to anyone because everyone have such a different taste but I can do the second best thing and write how the books make me feel.

This is the third book I read about him unless you dont split the book 1Q84 into 3 books like they do in the bookstore. I dont read much books but I figured that if I find an author that speaks to me I might as well loan all books that exist at the library and that I have done.

So more books of him for me to dig into in the hot Swedish summer while doing my walks.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this read by Rupert Degas - a superb reading - his voices are so varied, and just right. The book itself was really enjoyable, with surreal, historical and everyday elements. Like a lot of Murakami's books, there's a separation at the centre of the story: Toru Okada's wife Kumiko has left him, and he doesn't know where she is. In fact, the cat has done that too. All the mysterious characters of the book lead him away, or perhaps to his wife - and his cat. It's confusing, but compelling. Later, I learnt that there's another layer of mystery and confusion: some of the original parts of the story got left out in the English translation!

[Duma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduced me to the world of Murakami.
I picked it up for the first time, a few days after I got hired as a librarian. The cover looked interesting, then the description really intrigued me. Without thinking too much, I bought “The Best of Murakami Collection” and that’s how it all started.

After a few chapters, I was hooked on his style. It was so wonderfully confusing… I can’t even describe it.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, thought-provoking and disturbing book. The genre is magic realism and explores what is free will, the power of the subconscious, the impact of war and the impact of manipulative relationships and also genuine relationships. I didn't like some parts, but found the book compelling and intriguing. The spiritualism of Japanese people shapes the novel

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnum opus material

[Lorcán Mahedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece. Wonderfully told story that kept me enthralled. Enjoyed how the ending wasn’t spelled out for the reader. Very few wasted pages in a long enough book

[Thomas Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addictive can’t stop once you start

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fav from a bunch of mid dreamy waffle

[David Lammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion the best murakami

[RobLovesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

JAY RUBIN is not the author btw.
"It was not one of those strong, impulsive feelings that hit two people like an electric shock when they first meet, but something quieter and gentler , like two tiny lights traveling in tandem through a vast darkness and drawing imperceptibly closer to each other as they go."
This book is (((((A LOT))))). Be prepared.