Reading the Chunksters discussion

This thread is for discussing chapters 22-24, scheduled for Feb 5-11th.

I will read this tonight. I am having to force myself to read it. I WILL NOT BAIL!!!

End of Book 1.

Do Little People actually exist? Everyone was sleeping.

If the LP do exist, do they exist in the real world, or in the one that does not exist?

Aomane and Ayumi have met for the last time. Uh-oh.

Only Tengo knows where Fuka-Eri is.

Is Murakami going to continue to alternate narratives between Aomame and Tengo through book 2? A different or additional narration?

Also, why/how did Tamaru's dog explode?

Tammy Dayton wrote: "I will read this tonight. I am having to force myself to read it. I WILL NOT BAIL!!!"

I need to catch up with this week's reading as well.

Here is my theory and it is very convoluted so I will understand if you do not finish reading it. Previously, I mentioned my idea of the dressing room mirrors, where you have thousands of images reflecting. What if the book is something like that? One reflection is one world. Now, who would the connecting image be? Aomame, Tengo, or Fuka-Eri. My theory is Fuka-Eri. This is my theory - Fuka-Eri is the young abused girl in another reflection (world).

I think I am leaning toward this weird thought because of my page numbers. They reflect.

The dog must have been blown up by the little people, but isn't it strange that no one heard it. Shivers. Where is Fuka-Eri? Did she go back to the cult?

Tammy Dayton wrote: "Here is my theory and it is very convoluted so I will understand if you do not finish reading it. Previously, I mentioned my idea of the dressing room mirrors, where you have thousands of images re..."

Just getting started: had to wait for the library copy.
Tammy, the book opens when Aomame switches tracks by getting out of the fancy taxi and Tengo is switching tracks during his dizzy spells. Aomame then descends the train station staircase and is trapped in a storage room but finds a hidden gap, and down Alice's Rabbit Hole she goes on her assassination mission. YES, dressing room mirrors with reflections into infinity, I think that's a great analogy. It's fascinating we can now operate a computer in several parallel universes for increased productivity (within the world of quantum physics-which I don't much understand). I think all Murakami fans of his shorter works like "Norwegian wood" (film version not very good, imo) can get on board this one easily, but I wouldn't advise anyone to read 1Q84 as their first novel by this author.

Dan wrote: "End of Book 1.

Do Little People actually exist? Everyone was sleeping.

If the LP do exist, do they exist in the real world, or in the one that does not exist?

Aomane and Ayumi have met for the l..."

Dan, I'm tempted to answer your question by flipping forward 500 pages or so, but I never do that. I'll take a guess: YES, Murakami flips back and forth between not only 2 characters, but many worlds, and it will not surprise me if Aomane and Tengo are always the 2 main characters under different names in different universes.

I like the idea of the Little People causing the dog to explode. But if so, then why? Are they paving the way to have someone or something infiltrate now that a guard dog is no longer a threat? But at the same time, Dan’s question of if they really exist is stuck in my mind.

Tengo is writing his novel that also contains two moons. So now we have reality, plus the Air Chrysalis story that contains the Little People, and Tengo’s story which contains two moons and the same world as Air Chrysalis. But Tengo also says that he writes so that he can change the past, which in turn will change the present. So it seems we really have possibly three stories or worlds?

Tengo keeps saying how he really has no future to speak of. My guess is that in writing his novel as a way of changing the past, he is going to rewrite his past when he met who we assume to be Aomame so that the present will change and they will meet in reality.

My oh my, my head is spinning. I love all these hypotheses of what might be going on here. I love Tammy's idea of mirror reflections and how the page numbers reflect. I thought this was an interesting thing to do with the printing of the book but had not given any thought as to why (other than this is an unusual book/story) so it fits to do so.

As to the little people and poor Bun. If they are able to make people sleep deeply as they seem to so as to be active at night, what purpose does killing the dog in such a awfully spectacular fashion actually achieve?

I loved the reveal of Tengo now writing his novel in the same world as Air Chrysalis right at the end of Book 1. How do the two version manipulate and in interact with each other?

I've got to say that this book is really stretching my brain and I love it!

We really have no idea what happened to the Willow House guard dog (except that it was weird). Could be the Little People, could be about someone or something else.

As with all the major characters, we are not sure about what's up.

Linda wrote: "I like the idea of the Little People causing the dog to explode. But if so, then why? Are they paving the way to have someone or something infiltrate now that a guard dog is no longer a threat? But..."

All, I'm sticking with the two-slit experiment in quantum physics, or the " is the cat alive or dead in the box" thought experiment, both situations coming down to yin/yang philosophy. At one point Aonome sends a victim 'to the other side', so that means SHE feels there are 2 universes. That, or 3 or more - in which we could argue there is an infinity of worlds. And about time travel, how would you ever be able to calculate the 'where' as the earth is moving AND the universe is expanding at the same time. Someone needs to identify point X in some way, the point from which time and space is moving. This point doesn't have to be the middle of the universe, just a point that we can project from/to/around if we are going to talk about time travel.

I can't wait for a chapter that deals with nothing else but the little people questions. I hope there will be one soon.

Dan wrote: "Also, why/how did Tamaru's dog explode?"

Dan, I think the dog, Bun, simply ate one of those chrysalis things. or one of the little people.

Tammy Dayton wrote: "Here is my theory and it is very convoluted so I will understand if you do not finish reading it. Previously, I mentioned my idea of the dressing room mirrors, where you have thousands of images re..."

Not only do the page numbers reflect, but they move up and down the page. I tried to figure out why they did that by who was in the scenes, but that didn't work.

Chapter 22

This chapter begins with Tengo sharing his thoughts on time with us, and how we can invent or change it (for lack of a better word). I thought this was important. A lot of what is happening seems to me to involve time (or the shifting speeds/sands of time or about the different ways we can invent or change it). I expect we will come back to time at some point, or someone else will, if not Tengo. I wonder if the three weeks Fuka-Eri is missing are three weeks to her?

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Chapter 22

This chapter begins with Tengo sharing his thoughts on time with us, and how we can invent or change it (for lack of a better word). I thought this was important. A lot of what is happe..."

That is a great point Xan. I am overlooking the concept of time.

Thx, Tammy!

Chapter 24

Well, now you tell him! (Eri's cassette-letter) :)

This place is far away. No one will find me if I don’t go out walking. Very far away.

And in what context should we take "far away?" Distance? Time? Space-Time? Something else? The "very far away" strikes me as meaning something other than or more than distance.

So Tengo's story contains a second moon/world for you to change the first moon/world. (Improve? For whom?) But is that what Aomame is doing (unwittingly) with her second moon, changing the world?