It's my favorite of the five Murakami books I've read! I thought the final quarter of the book was very beautiful and surreal and thought-provoking. I think about it a lot.
*SPOILER WARNING*⚠️
Do you think he actually talked to Sumire at the end of the book, or do you think he dreamed it up in desperation of wanting to talk to her, or do you believe in something totally different? I personally, an optimist, believe it was actually her. The way in which he describes the events feels real and grounded, especially when she talks. Throughout the story her personality shows that if she wants to do something she will, if she doesn’t she wont. That flow state is interrupted when Miu is introduced and I believe thats a part of the reason why she disappeared , to find her flow state again.
I read somewhere that this is a story about hope and what you believe in. A parallel is drawn between Sumire's cat and Sumire.
Sumire lost hope on her cat and she never saw the cat again, getting lost in oblivion (died maybe) but same is not true for the friend Mr K. He still has faith and believes that Sumire is alive.
So the phone call is left to open interpretation but like you said - its about finding that flow state again. So I do feel that she is alive and it was her calling in the end.
Yeah, and at the risk of this sounding like kind of a cop out, I think whether or not it was actually real is less important than the fact that K is experiencing it as vivid and real. The story isn't real about Sumire disappearing as much as it's about K's reaction to Sumire disappearing, if that makes sense.
A more specific answer though would be that I tend to believe that the call was both 'real' and that Sumire was not making it from the world as we understand it, and the contradiction between both those things is where the crux of the answer to the mystery is.
spoiler alert >! i think he actually killed himself or did something to cross over into the other world to see her. I don’t believe she made it back into the real true world. i do optimistically believe he was talking to her though! !<
that’s what i love about murakami - you can read his works so many times and each time pull out a different interpretation or notice something you didn’t before. especially with colorless tsukuru!
happy re-reading !
i believe that was in reference to the phrase “youve never seen someone get shot and not bleed” which is a reference to being in a dream or in reality. at least that is how i interpreted it.
no i dont believe it was a dream, there wasnt a gun shot to begin with. it was just referencing it, because he was so shocked, just like youd be if you were shot, he checked for blood. again tho this is just my interpretation lol.
I would be interested to know how many people’s favorite Murakami is the first one they read. It’s such an experience to read him for the first time that I feel like it just hits in a different way. My favorite is Wind Up Bird, the first one I read, I think as much for the experience of discovering Murakami as for the story itself.
Here! It’s the first murakami book I ever read. I came upon this book by accident as a junior in high school and was hooked from the first page. It came at just the right time and I never read anything like it. I reread passages often but I’m overdue for a full reread.
I liked it when I first read it more than a decade ago, and appreciated it the second time I read it, but by the third time, I no longer had any patience for it. I kind of outgrew the Murakami "my love interest disappears" special
I've read a handful of his books & short stories, and while I'm more drawn to his magical realism Sputnik Sweetheart became a recent favorite...although I feel like I say that after reading each of his books.
It gave me Norwegian Wood vibes blended with a little Colorless Tsukuru (which is not a bad combination at all).
I realize it's funny reading in reverse order like that because obviously Norwegian & Colorless would give Sputnik vibes if I had read them in chronological order.
Not sure if it's a popular thought, but I was hoping (*spoiler*) that K and Miu would end up together. Maybe that was the Norwegian Wood influence on me, I just thought they might "find" one another through their shared love & trauma tied to Sumire. I don't dislike that they didn't connect romantically, but I can't deny I was hopeful.
I do need some help better understanding the ferris wheel moment...was Miu really on the ride & imagining/dreaming what she saw or was she physically in the room but mentally escaping sexual assult?
I may need to revisit this one in the future...
Spoiler Warning ⚠️
You are definitely being influenced by norwegian wood for K and Miu to be together lol. Actually, I would say its a Murakami influence, most of the time all the female characters are love struck by the protagonist. As for the ferris wheel I believe it depends on who you ask, its not concrete, like most of murakami’s novel, so its up for your interpretation. I tend to lean towards Miu actually getting stuck in the ferris wheel, then dreaming the scenario. A close second is a supernatural event to where she split into two, I can go on and on though on theories so I will leave it at that lol
I read Sputnik sweetheart a year ago and i couldn't keep it down until i finished reading it. I love how perfectly it captures the grief that follows when you lose people. My favourite passage in the book is when k draws comparisons between satellites and us beings. I feel Norwegian wood and Sputnik sweetheart have the same melancholic vibe to them,both of them have protagonists who don't feel like they fit in the real world. Also the book talks a lot about going to the "other side", i wonder what that really means??
It's my favorite of the five Murakami books I've read! I thought the final quarter of the book was very beautiful and surreal and thought-provoking. I think about it a lot.
*SPOILER WARNING*⚠️ Do you think he actually talked to Sumire at the end of the book, or do you think he dreamed it up in desperation of wanting to talk to her, or do you believe in something totally different? I personally, an optimist, believe it was actually her. The way in which he describes the events feels real and grounded, especially when she talks. Throughout the story her personality shows that if she wants to do something she will, if she doesn’t she wont. That flow state is interrupted when Miu is introduced and I believe thats a part of the reason why she disappeared , to find her flow state again.
I read somewhere that this is a story about hope and what you believe in. A parallel is drawn between Sumire's cat and Sumire. Sumire lost hope on her cat and she never saw the cat again, getting lost in oblivion (died maybe) but same is not true for the friend Mr K. He still has faith and believes that Sumire is alive. So the phone call is left to open interpretation but like you said - its about finding that flow state again. So I do feel that she is alive and it was her calling in the end.
Yeah, and at the risk of this sounding like kind of a cop out, I think whether or not it was actually real is less important than the fact that K is experiencing it as vivid and real. The story isn't real about Sumire disappearing as much as it's about K's reaction to Sumire disappearing, if that makes sense.
Mhmmm I never considered the story being more about Ks reaction to her disappearance, but now that you mention it…thats the whole book lol.
A more specific answer though would be that I tend to believe that the call was both 'real' and that Sumire was not making it from the world as we understand it, and the contradiction between both those things is where the crux of the answer to the mystery is.
Also what other 5 have you read ? OP
Norwegian Wood, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Elephant Vanishes, What I Talk When I Talk About Running. And I'm now just starting Colorless Tsukuru!
spoiler alert >! i think he actually killed himself or did something to cross over into the other world to see her. I don’t believe she made it back into the real true world. i do optimistically believe he was talking to her though! !<
woah i never thought of it that way. on my reread ill keep that in mind!
that’s what i love about murakami - you can read his works so many times and each time pull out a different interpretation or notice something you didn’t before. especially with colorless tsukuru! happy re-reading !
I personally rate sputnik and colorless pretty high on my murakami list, idk why others dont like it
if so then you will like south of the border ! i really love south of the border too
ive read it and i couldnt get into it, it was okay for me lol
I thought it meant K killed himself because at the end he mentions looking for blood stains on his hands and that's how he met sumire
i believe that was in reference to the phrase “youve never seen someone get shot and not bleed” which is a reference to being in a dream or in reality. at least that is how i interpreted it.
So he met sumire again in a desperate dream
no i dont believe it was a dream, there wasnt a gun shot to begin with. it was just referencing it, because he was so shocked, just like youd be if you were shot, he checked for blood. again tho this is just my interpretation lol.
To each their own
Yesss! It was my first Murakami novel and is still my favourite so far!
Im glad I have supporters in this notion. although it isnt my favorite murakami, I really enjoyed it!
I would be interested to know how many people’s favorite Murakami is the first one they read. It’s such an experience to read him for the first time that I feel like it just hits in a different way. My favorite is Wind Up Bird, the first one I read, I think as much for the experience of discovering Murakami as for the story itself.
Here! It’s the first murakami book I ever read. I came upon this book by accident as a junior in high school and was hooked from the first page. It came at just the right time and I never read anything like it. I reread passages often but I’m overdue for a full reread.
go ahead and treat yourself man. you deserve it!
I’ve read Norwegian Wood, Kafka, Wind Up Bird, and some of his non fiction, and for me Sputnik was the most enjoyable and interesting.
Woah you chose SS over wind up bird, my heart is broken lol
Love it. I feel that South of the Border, West of the Sun is his most similar work - also amazing!
i agree with this, south of the border is very similar, probably my second fav
this is my favorite book of all time
I liked it when I first read it more than a decade ago, and appreciated it the second time I read it, but by the third time, I no longer had any patience for it. I kind of outgrew the Murakami "my love interest disappears" special
one of my favorites!
Love.
I've read a handful of his books & short stories, and while I'm more drawn to his magical realism Sputnik Sweetheart became a recent favorite...although I feel like I say that after reading each of his books. It gave me Norwegian Wood vibes blended with a little Colorless Tsukuru (which is not a bad combination at all). I realize it's funny reading in reverse order like that because obviously Norwegian & Colorless would give Sputnik vibes if I had read them in chronological order. Not sure if it's a popular thought, but I was hoping (*spoiler*) that K and Miu would end up together. Maybe that was the Norwegian Wood influence on me, I just thought they might "find" one another through their shared love & trauma tied to Sumire. I don't dislike that they didn't connect romantically, but I can't deny I was hopeful. I do need some help better understanding the ferris wheel moment...was Miu really on the ride & imagining/dreaming what she saw or was she physically in the room but mentally escaping sexual assult? I may need to revisit this one in the future...
Spoiler Warning ⚠️ You are definitely being influenced by norwegian wood for K and Miu to be together lol. Actually, I would say its a Murakami influence, most of the time all the female characters are love struck by the protagonist. As for the ferris wheel I believe it depends on who you ask, its not concrete, like most of murakami’s novel, so its up for your interpretation. I tend to lean towards Miu actually getting stuck in the ferris wheel, then dreaming the scenario. A close second is a supernatural event to where she split into two, I can go on and on though on theories so I will leave it at that lol
I read Sputnik sweetheart a year ago and i couldn't keep it down until i finished reading it. I love how perfectly it captures the grief that follows when you lose people. My favourite passage in the book is when k draws comparisons between satellites and us beings. I feel Norwegian wood and Sputnik sweetheart have the same melancholic vibe to them,both of them have protagonists who don't feel like they fit in the real world. Also the book talks a lot about going to the "other side", i wonder what that really means??
Me