The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

by Jay Rubin

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

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.

[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.

[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!

[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

[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

[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.