What's Next? discussion

“When you have a plate on top of your head, it’s best not to look up at the sky”.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m the shadow of something, of someone.”


New Murakami! Re-write of a novella published in a Japanese magazine in 1980. “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” (1985) is an earlier response and co-exists along with this version. The different versions were influenced by the author’s age - 31 when the novella was published to 71 when completed (2022) - and the Covid epidemic, which spanned the writing of this novel.

The (new) novel is a typical Murakami story, exploring themes of identify, purpose, relationships and sexuality, and time. In this case, the search is mostly inward and focused on selfhood. It is not a new classic but should be enjoyed by fans of the author who enjoy the spirit and imagery his writing; the author uses imagination as an offset to loneliness and depression. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Reading it now! Rounded up to 3.5? 🤔 I’ll keep my expectations low.

Finally finished reading this latest Murakami novel. It was an atmospheric read for me, but there were parts which I thought drag on a bit, and some parts felt unnecessarily repetitive. Overall I'm a bit disappointed with this book because his last novel Killing Commodore was such a fun read for me, and I was expecting more from this book and not less.

I'm still a Murakami fan, and I love the 'realms' he created. I will however not recommend this book to first timers looking to explore his work, 'Killing Commodore' will be a good start instead.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars