Sign in with Facebook
Andrew Smith's Reviews > The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by
by
I’ve read quite a few of Murakami’s books in the past few years and it’s caused me to reflect on my feelings about this one, which I worked my way through in late summer 2013.
Beware; it is a weighty and sometimes complex piece. The story follows Toru Okada, a young man whose life is in the doldrums: he has no job, very little ambition, his wife has left him and now his cat has gone missing. In searching for his cat he wonders up and down a closed lane bordering his house and at one point finds himself climbing into a dry well, set within the garden of a neighbouring property. He begins to visit this well regularly and whilst sitting in darkness at the bottom he is apt to enter a meditative-like state in which he has experiences that may or may not be dreamt. Yes, it’s quite a surreal tale.
I won’t go into too much more detail about what happens but I will say that some of the characters I met along the way are memorable and some of the sub-stories that develop are really intense and powerful. My personal favourite (and it would make a five star novella on its own) concerns the plight of an old Japanese soldier and his experiences in Manchuria during the Sino-Japanese War.
There is certainly a strong undercurrent of feeling here concerning Japan’s violent aggression during World War II. But that aside, the whole piece is an affecting and thought provoking narrative. I may not have fully comprehended the totality of the tale but it entertained me, touched me and it has stood the test of time - i.e. when asked to list my top three books it often makes the cut.
Murakami is certainly a gifted writer with a wild and brilliant imagination. The settings of his books always take me to unfamiliar places that are culturally different from anything I’ve yet to experience. It’s probably why I go back to his works, even if I fail to enjoy some of them – they are often challenging but always unconventional and off-centre. They tend to stay with me. A handful of his books are amongst a very small percentage of all the books I’ve read that I’m likely to re-visit one day.
Beware; it is a weighty and sometimes complex piece. The story follows Toru Okada, a young man whose life is in the doldrums: he has no job, very little ambition, his wife has left him and now his cat has gone missing. In searching for his cat he wonders up and down a closed lane bordering his house and at one point finds himself climbing into a dry well, set within the garden of a neighbouring property. He begins to visit this well regularly and whilst sitting in darkness at the bottom he is apt to enter a meditative-like state in which he has experiences that may or may not be dreamt. Yes, it’s quite a surreal tale.
I won’t go into too much more detail about what happens but I will say that some of the characters I met along the way are memorable and some of the sub-stories that develop are really intense and powerful. My personal favourite (and it would make a five star novella on its own) concerns the plight of an old Japanese soldier and his experiences in Manchuria during the Sino-Japanese War.
There is certainly a strong undercurrent of feeling here concerning Japan’s violent aggression during World War II. But that aside, the whole piece is an affecting and thought provoking narrative. I may not have fully comprehended the totality of the tale but it entertained me, touched me and it has stood the test of time - i.e. when asked to list my top three books it often makes the cut.
Murakami is certainly a gifted writer with a wild and brilliant imagination. The settings of his books always take me to unfamiliar places that are culturally different from anything I’ve yet to experience. It’s probably why I go back to his works, even if I fail to enjoy some of them – they are often challenging but always unconventional and off-centre. They tend to stay with me. A handful of his books are amongst a very small percentage of all the books I’ve read that I’m likely to re-visit one day.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
September 15, 2013
–
Started Reading
September 15, 2013
– Shelved
October 8, 2013
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-35 of 35 (35 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Lisa
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
May 01, 2015 06:14PM
fantastic review. Great thoughts. I loved this one, too. Probably also in my top 3 :)
reply
|
flag
Many thanks, Lisa. It really is some book, isn't it.
Did you ever happen to stumble upon Paul's review of this one? He does a pretty spot on parody that's funny to those of us who've already read it.
I've just read it, Dan. Hilarious and, as you say, pretty spot on!
Yeah several of his reviews are pretty amusing. I've actually posted links to some of my favorite reviews, in the about me section of my profile page.
Great idea. I'll take a look.
Love Paul's Gone Girl review!
Yeah especially the ending was hilarious, "It wasn’t chicken in that basket."
Great review. I have been wanting to check out some of his work for awhile now. Which book do you think I should start with ?
I was thinking about him this morning. He is a challenging writer. He challenges us to explore new horizons on many levels. But he's exhausting to read, although it's always worth it. Love your thoughts on this one.
Jamie wrote: "Great review. I have been wanting to check out some of his work for awhile now. Which book do you think I should start with ?"Thank you Jamie. So, where to start with Murakami?
Firstly, if you've never read his work before you could try his short story, Kino. I've attached a link below to a free to read copy. It'll give you a flavour of his style.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...
Secondly, you should choose whether you wish to delve straight into his more surreal offerings (they tend to be big books but are correspondingly hugely rewarding - in my view) or kick-off with some of his more accessible, straightforward narratives. I've provided a a few of my favourites below.
Surreal:
- This book, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
- Kafka on the Shore
- 1Q84
All of these are 'big' books. 1Q84 is massive, at around 1200 pages so probably not one to read first. In fact, I'd probably recommend Kafka as a starter.
Straightforward (well, for Murakami):
- Norwegian Wood
- South of the Border, West of the Sun
These lack the inventiveness of the three books I previously listed, but are shorter and less demanding. In truth, I enjoyed these too. Norwegian Wood is sad and South of the Border a little lightweight, but both are more easily fathomable than his more surreal work.
I'd avoid his 'Rat' series completely - I tried a couple of them and found them incomprehensible!
Good luck! :)
Margitte wrote: "I was thinking about him this morning. He is a challenging writer. He challenges us to explore new horizons on many levels. But he's exhausting to read, although it's always worth it. Love your tho..."Many thanks, Margitte. And I couldn't agree more. I actually gave up on him for a while, a few years back, worn out by the effort needed to plough through some of his books. But I was drawn back to him - there's really no-one else who tells a story quite like he does. I love the surprises and the mystery of it all. Above all, I love the 'atmosphere' of his books.
As you say, he's a challenging writer but the rewards are bountiful if you're prepared to hang in there.
I recently finished 'Kafka on the Shore' and I completely align with your appreciation Murakami is certainly a gifted writer with a wild and brilliant imagination. The settings of his books always take me to unfamiliar places that are culturally different from anything I’ve yet to experience. It’s probably why I go back to his works, even if I fail to enjoy some of them – they are often challenging but always unconventional and off-centre. But I fail to understand the coherence of the wild imagination which I believe go unexplained.
I'm glad I read this review, Andrew, thanks for this! Maybe I could gather some thoughts now and write about 'Kafka on the shore'
Ritwik wrote: "I recently finished 'Kafka on the Shore' and I completely align with your appreciation Murakami is certainly a gifted writer with a wild and brilliant imagination. The settings of his books always ..."Thanks for your thoughts, Ritwik. I must admit to finding little coherence in some of Murakami's work. Sometimes I manage to submerge myself in the narrative and just enjoy the wild flights of fancy. Other times I find myself completely captivated by the story and the images. Kafka is a book I liked a lot and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.
One book that helped me along the way was Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words. Written by Jay Rubin, who has translated some of Murakami's books into English, its part biography and part Rubin's own thoughts on what message(s) each of Murakami's works are trying to convey. I'm not sure how accurate his thoughts are but he certainly provided me with good food for thought and, I think, quite a bit of insight on some of the stories.
Andrew wrote: "Jamie wrote: "Great review. I have been wanting to check out some of his work for awhile now. Which book do you think I should start with ?"Thank you Jamie. So, where to start with Murakami?
Fi..."
Thank you so much Andrew :)
Thanks Andrew for a great review. I generally enjoy Murakami and I loved this book. For some reason, sitting in that well really got me.It's definitely a book I'd like to read again. My son recently read it (and loved it) and is pushing me to do so, so maybe...
Terrific review, Andrew . Have not read anything by this author but maybe I should!
Angela M wrote: "Terrific review, Andrew . Have not read anything by this author but maybe I should!"Many thanks, Angela. I love Murakami's writing - it's not always easy to comprehend but I find that the stories often suck me in, make me think .. and they chave a tendency to stay with me. I think some (but not all) of his books are just magical :)
Great review, Andrew! Another add for future reading. :)
Jaline wrote: "Great review, Andrew! Another add for future reading. :)"Definitely one of his very best, I think, Jaline. And not a bad place to start if you're new to this author.
I also like Murakami. Thank you for helping me to better understand this one
Great review of a truly wonderful book.
Phrodrick wrote: "I also like Murakami. Thank you for helping me to better understand this one"Understanding Murakami is one of the challenges of reading his books isn't it, Phrodrick. What is he trying to say & am I missing something, are questions I regularly ask myself. Thankfully I bought a book some time back which has helped me: Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words. It's made getting the most out of reading these novels somewhat easier.
Lars wrote: "Great review of a truly wonderful book."Many thanks, Lars!
Andrew wrote: "Phrodrick wrote: "I also like Murakami. Thank you for helping me to better understand this one"Understanding Murakami is one of the challenges of reading his books isn't it, Phidrick. What is he ..."
On my TBR list, Thanks for the reason to advance its sched. I had begun with IQ 1984, a book I very much enjoyed and wandered into one or two others before deciding to read them all in order.
FWIW I am not entire taken with his short stories.
Phrodrick wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Phrodrick wrote: "I also like Murakami. Thank you for helping me to better understand this one"I've read them in random order and have picked off most of the novels. An interesting comment on his short stories - I think I prefer his longer books, where the atmosphere gradually gets inside me and I grow to inhabit the characters. The shorts can be quirky and interesting but they're really bit of fluff compared to his larger works.
Thank you for your review. Reading Murakami is like entering a marathon. One has to physically and mentally prepare. (I recommend, “What I talk About When I Talk About Running” by Murakami.) My first Murakami experience was “Kafka on the Shore.” Your comment, ‘some of the sub-stories that develop are really intense and powerful” remind me of aspects of ‘Kafka on the Shore.’ I will go into preparation mode and delve into this most taxing book.
I enjoyed your thoughts on this. I don't revisit books often but I know I'll read this one again.
Thanks, Lisa. I’m the same, I virtually never read a book more than once. But I read a short story that turned out to be the opening section of this book and it reignited my desire to revisit the whole book!
Andrew wrote: "Thanks, Lisa. I’m the same, I virtually never read a book more than once. But I read a short story that turned out to be the opening section of this book and it reignited my desire to revisit the w..."What is the name of the short story Andrew? Murakami does seem to be an appropriate author to read in these weird times.
Great review, Andrew. I haven't read Murakami but he is on my list of 'authors to try'. Your review moves him to the top of the list.
Barbara wrote: "Great review, Andrew. I haven't read Murakami but he is on my list of 'authors to try'. Your review moves him to the top of the list."Barabara - thank you :)
For me, reading Murakami is different to reading just about anyone else. Particularly in his longer books it can be a strangely immersive experience. I look forward to your thoughts.
This was my first Murakami and one of my favourite books ...... strange and immersive as you say - enjoyed your review Andrew.
Richard wrote: "This was my first Murakami and one of my favourite books ...... strange and immersive as you say - enjoyed your review Andrew."Thank you, Richard. It was one of the early Murakami books I read too & was somewhat stunned by it. I didn’t realise reading could be like this.
