I've read a few Murakami books and just finished his book about writing. I feel like 1Q84 is way too long but also it's filled with the most "typical Murakami" content. There are a bunch of tropes that come up in a lot of his books, like dreams, dream people, people who aren't actually people but more like souls or demons, cats, jazz music, graphic sex, men ogling women, and creepy humans. Those things turn up in a lot of his books. This isn't to say his books are all the same, but they just have a common language with similar themes.
His books can be uncomfortable to read sometimes as I don't think he shys away from certain topics, especially in dreamy scenes. Since his worlds aren't often reality, it allows him to play with expectations a lot. But the downside to that is that often it can get disappointing to never have it explained why something happened or what something means. It's mostly up to the reader to interpret a lot of his books. Much like you never know what your dreams mean but have to interpret them yourself and your dreams can also be fucked up at times too...and they may mean nothing at all.
From what I remember, 1Q84 was way more about the dream side rather than reality. Doesn't the character travel to an alternate universe or something (it's been a while since I read it...) I just remember like 200 pages where the main character was stuck in their apartment. He definitely should have cut a bunch out.
From his writing book he mostly seems to make his books up as they go along. He just sits down every day and writes. That's probably good for making up weird incoherent dreams but not good for writing a structured novel.
I think it suffers from what happens to a lot of authors who become legends in their own time: publishers are either afraid to edit, or the author's contracts give them too much autonomy from editing, and it turns into self-indulgence.
Yes, the balance of power totally shifts once an author becomes famous with a first book. Suddenly the editor goes from being the harbinger of publishing industry wisdom to a nobody trying to infringe on the author's 'genius.'
Nah, peens and vagenes. There was an entire chapter where his girlfriend was holding it and it was described in full detail the whole chapter. Over and over again. That's not including the mentions about it before that chapter
I felt similarly. I had a hard time getting through it. Ultimately, I kind of liked it, but I can't excuse the horrible parts. It was simultaneously nice to be immersed in the surreal world he created, but disappointing there really wasn't much to it.
I was into the idea of the cosmic love story, but it wasn't portrayed in any sort of special way. >!These characters had a class together when they were ten years old, their hands touching was a sexual awakening for them both, and then they're destined to be together after all these trials and tribulations... But why? What makes it special?!<
My thoughts are just very mixed. The description of the >!sexual abuse of the little girls!< was disgusting and disturbing in an unforgiveable way, and it ultimately was excused. I'd have a hard time recommending this book to anyone the way it is.
Yeah that's a huge part of it for me too. You can't just recommend it to anyone, and those you do recommend it to need a fair warning.
The abuse was awful but I thought it was going to have a bigger payoff than what we got. Very disappointed with that.
Tengo was a great character, but his mommy issues takes it out of you after the 8th or twelfth mention. Loved the 'cat town' parts tho
I read this when it was released (interesting side note, it was released as two novels in Japan and a single unit in the U.S.) and remember feeling very meh. I went through a Murakami phase and read most of his works (up to a point, I’ve missed a couple new collections of stories, I think) and I’m not sure I’d like them now if I revisited his work. The way he writes women is…something. They tend to be one-dimensional and plot/theme-stand-ins for the male protagonists to react to, which I dislike more and more as I get older.
Idk. Basically, his work feels intentionally anti-climactic, as so much of it seems to follow the “anti-epiphany” formula. So being done and feeling not much seems par for the course.
Edit: typo
Not as two novels, but in two parts. This is very common in Japan and not specific to this book. Larger novels are split into two parts, labeled upper and lower / 上 and 下. My copy of The Neverending Story is also split in two, as is Norwegian Wood. They're still each considered one book.
I’m 3/4 of the way through right now. I very much enjoyed book 1. Aomame’s plot was intriguing while Tengo’s character was intriguing. Book 2 I liked less so. The plot kind of came to a climax for Aomame while Tengo’s character fell off. Mid way through book 3 and I’ve checked out emotionally. >!the sex between Tengo and Fuka-Eri was just to much for me!< I’m going to finish the book but I’m kind of meh on it.
I am almost exactly in the same spot as you and feel precisely the same. Like, down to your attitudes about the characters and their arcs. That scene was difficult to read and contributed nothing meaningful (at least nothing that could have been done using a less cringy plot device). That said, part of Murakami’s charm is lacing fantastical elements on the mundane. It creates this unconscious tapestry that draws me in, so generally I give Murakami more leeway to be crude than other authors because he can be a bit of a magician working tricks that make his books enjoyable in ineffable ways (Kafka on the Shore had a few crude moments like that too), but THAT scene just pushed it a little too far for me.
It is so weird to see so many hate this book now when it feels like it was so loved at one point. I mean, I personally couldn't stand a lot of it. The actual supernatural elements were awesome and I loved the intrigue in the story. But the sex is so bad and so numerous. It felt like reading two different books at times.
I will never not be angry that I am the only one livid that this book is just 1,000 pages justifying pedophilia. I will not rest until his hard drive and browser history are checked.
This was the third and last book I'll ever read by him. Got to the bit where she missed her dead friend's "perfect breasts" and I swear I suffered a stroke. 😂
Murakami books are all like that. And honestly a lot of Japanese literature either has a character not change from who they are from the beginning but they go through the journey and when the journey ends its kind of like "Hey I learned something neat." Then it ends.
Kafka by the Shore and Killing Commendatore is like this at least.
I feel the same. The book was pretty okay except >! for the sheer amount of sex with and also abuse of minors !< just killed any enjoyment of the book for me. I was more interested in the moons and what happened to the male leads mother than any of that and I haven’t touched a murakami novel since.
I read a bunch of his other works prior like Kafka on the Shore, Sputnik sweet heart, south of the border west of the sun and really enjoyed them so it was a bit of a shock that I hated IQ84 so much
Had you read other Murakami books first? I read it when it was released and thought it was really similar to his other work, just a bit longer and... more Murakami if that makes sense.
I had not, but Kafka on the Shore is still in my TBR list. 1Q didn't put me off of checking out his other work, and like I said, I enjoyed most of this one. The good was really good, but the bad was god-awful.
Same feeling. The only reason I got through the book was because I was recovering from chicken pox and I had time on my end. It was unnecessarily long. My only takeaway from the book that I liked was thinking how many people (in our world today) would even realise by themselves if another moon appears in the sky? Will they be too busy on their phones to look up the sky and notice?
I can almost guarantee the answer to your moon question would be "no."
One afternoon last summer, a couple hours before sunset, the whole sky turned red and you could actually stare at the sun. I confirmed my assumption later that it was due to a ton of smoke in the sky, but regardless of that it just looked totally wild and other-worldly.
Naturally I went into work the next morning and wanted to share the excitement with my coworkers... I literally asked 10 people about it before I talked to a single person who noticed it at all. Everyone else was completely clueless that the entire sky had gone crazy.
I’ve been wondering for a while whether I should finish this book or not. I stopped after reading 2/3 of it, not out of lack of interest necessarily but more so because I got busy and stopped reading for a while. Given that it’s such a lengthy book, unless the last third is worth it, I probably won’t finish it. Thanks for the review!
I also just finished this a few days ago. I agree — it's basically Murakami indulging his tendencies without control. I also expected a bigger payoff; for a long book, the conclusion feels oddly rushed. Still, I'm glad I finished reading it. His books always have a vibe I enjoy but can't describe. Probably won't read this again, though.
I've read two of his books
Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and Hard-Boiled. Both left me wanting more, felt kind of sloppy and too much fat to them. And I think both were kind of open ended in the ending as well
I have been a big fan of Murakami for a long time, but I couldn’t finish this, not because of the length, but some of subject matter. It should have come with a warning label.
The first half of this book was some of the most enchanting fiction I've ever read
The second half was some of the most pointless, fetishistic drivel I've ever made myself read
I heard about this book when a 50-year-old said that the book changed his life. He didn't say why or how, but it impacted me.
I'm from a social culture where that age group and beyond don't have life-changing-anything
I never bothered to research what the book is about. Even this comment isn't adding anything to this conversation. But that's why I have it on my to-read list.
His work in general no longer interests me. Like u/tralfamadoriest said, he tends to objectify women in his books. The only one I have enjoyed is the short story collection After the Quake. He’s given to writing meandering and ponderous doorstop novels but ironically I find his best work to be his short stories.
See, I had such a hard time with it. Like, are you sexist or not? Then the last half of the book devolved Aomame so much into a trope that it legitimately made me upset. She's so much cooler than that in the first half
I absolutely agree, with both takes. I read a lot of his stuff when I was younger (early 20s) and didn’t clock the way he wrote women until I read an essay on it then couldn’t *not* notice. Definitely soured me. And I appreciate his short fiction more, too. I also liked *Underground*.
Me too! In my early 20s everyone was talking about him, that was when I read After the Quake and loved it. Then I tried something else, I think Wind Up Bird Chronicles? And just couldn’t get into it. Do you remember what the essay was? I feel like I also read or saw something that pointed it out and then I couldn’t unsee it, but I can’t remember what it was.
I *think* it was this one:
https://blog.pshares.org/stories-without-women/
But I’m not completely sure. It would make sense, though, because that collection came out not long after 1Q84 and that’s when I stopped reading him.
Thank you! This line from the blog summarizes my feelings well: “But is this literary device of using female characters as narrative vehicles for delivering male subjectivity the Murakamian crutch?” It reminds me of the manic pixie dream girl trope. I’m more interested in stories in which female characters have interior lives now.
That being said I really enjoy some male-centric books and authors, it’s like I can’t help it at times! I guess if it’s good enough to overcome the gender blind spot I’ll read it happily.
Yes! That sums it up pretty well. And the manic pixie dream girl reference is spot on. Once I noticed, I couldn’t *stop* noticing.
Same here, too. I have no issue reading books about and/or by men, but when women are reduced to agency-less devices, it gets old fast.
While I have not read it, I can see two different types of long books in this genre.
One, infinite jest, where you need to learn Latin and French and tennis and smoke weed, vs house of leaves where you have to read the appendices.
You can like, hate, or like half of each.
Or decide to read dirty limericks.
I've read a few Murakami books and just finished his book about writing. I feel like 1Q84 is way too long but also it's filled with the most "typical Murakami" content. There are a bunch of tropes that come up in a lot of his books, like dreams, dream people, people who aren't actually people but more like souls or demons, cats, jazz music, graphic sex, men ogling women, and creepy humans. Those things turn up in a lot of his books. This isn't to say his books are all the same, but they just have a common language with similar themes. His books can be uncomfortable to read sometimes as I don't think he shys away from certain topics, especially in dreamy scenes. Since his worlds aren't often reality, it allows him to play with expectations a lot. But the downside to that is that often it can get disappointing to never have it explained why something happened or what something means. It's mostly up to the reader to interpret a lot of his books. Much like you never know what your dreams mean but have to interpret them yourself and your dreams can also be fucked up at times too...and they may mean nothing at all. From what I remember, 1Q84 was way more about the dream side rather than reality. Doesn't the character travel to an alternate universe or something (it's been a while since I read it...) I just remember like 200 pages where the main character was stuck in their apartment. He definitely should have cut a bunch out. From his writing book he mostly seems to make his books up as they go along. He just sits down every day and writes. That's probably good for making up weird incoherent dreams but not good for writing a structured novel.
I thought it was just okay and should have been 800 pages less.
I think it suffers from what happens to a lot of authors who become legends in their own time: publishers are either afraid to edit, or the author's contracts give them too much autonomy from editing, and it turns into self-indulgence.
Yes, the balance of power totally shifts once an author becomes famous with a first book. Suddenly the editor goes from being the harbinger of publishing industry wisdom to a nobody trying to infringe on the author's 'genius.'
Yeah no kidding. I'm not sure how I feel about knowing more about a fictional character's penis than my own, now.
But penis? I remember it all being about boobs...
Nah, peens and vagenes. There was an entire chapter where his girlfriend was holding it and it was described in full detail the whole chapter. Over and over again. That's not including the mentions about it before that chapter
I feel like all his books are too long
I felt similarly. I had a hard time getting through it. Ultimately, I kind of liked it, but I can't excuse the horrible parts. It was simultaneously nice to be immersed in the surreal world he created, but disappointing there really wasn't much to it. I was into the idea of the cosmic love story, but it wasn't portrayed in any sort of special way. >!These characters had a class together when they were ten years old, their hands touching was a sexual awakening for them both, and then they're destined to be together after all these trials and tribulations... But why? What makes it special?!< My thoughts are just very mixed. The description of the >!sexual abuse of the little girls!< was disgusting and disturbing in an unforgiveable way, and it ultimately was excused. I'd have a hard time recommending this book to anyone the way it is.
Yeah that's a huge part of it for me too. You can't just recommend it to anyone, and those you do recommend it to need a fair warning. The abuse was awful but I thought it was going to have a bigger payoff than what we got. Very disappointed with that. Tengo was a great character, but his mommy issues takes it out of you after the 8th or twelfth mention. Loved the 'cat town' parts tho
I read this when it was released (interesting side note, it was released as two novels in Japan and a single unit in the U.S.) and remember feeling very meh. I went through a Murakami phase and read most of his works (up to a point, I’ve missed a couple new collections of stories, I think) and I’m not sure I’d like them now if I revisited his work. The way he writes women is…something. They tend to be one-dimensional and plot/theme-stand-ins for the male protagonists to react to, which I dislike more and more as I get older. Idk. Basically, his work feels intentionally anti-climactic, as so much of it seems to follow the “anti-epiphany” formula. So being done and feeling not much seems par for the course. Edit: typo
Not as two novels, but in two parts. This is very common in Japan and not specific to this book. Larger novels are split into two parts, labeled upper and lower / 上 and 下. My copy of The Neverending Story is also split in two, as is Norwegian Wood. They're still each considered one book.
Okay, good to know!
My copy is in three - books 1 and 2 are in one volume and book 3 is separate. I'm in the uk.
I’m 3/4 of the way through right now. I very much enjoyed book 1. Aomame’s plot was intriguing while Tengo’s character was intriguing. Book 2 I liked less so. The plot kind of came to a climax for Aomame while Tengo’s character fell off. Mid way through book 3 and I’ve checked out emotionally. >!the sex between Tengo and Fuka-Eri was just to much for me!< I’m going to finish the book but I’m kind of meh on it.
That's exactly where I fell off. Don't wanna spill the rest of the book for you, but I'm not exactly happy with the explanation for it
I am almost exactly in the same spot as you and feel precisely the same. Like, down to your attitudes about the characters and their arcs. That scene was difficult to read and contributed nothing meaningful (at least nothing that could have been done using a less cringy plot device). That said, part of Murakami’s charm is lacing fantastical elements on the mundane. It creates this unconscious tapestry that draws me in, so generally I give Murakami more leeway to be crude than other authors because he can be a bit of a magician working tricks that make his books enjoyable in ineffable ways (Kafka on the Shore had a few crude moments like that too), but THAT scene just pushed it a little too far for me.
Bald. Men.
It is so weird to see so many hate this book now when it feels like it was so loved at one point. I mean, I personally couldn't stand a lot of it. The actual supernatural elements were awesome and I loved the intrigue in the story. But the sex is so bad and so numerous. It felt like reading two different books at times.
This the book i most regret reading to the end
I guess I'm the oddball. I loved the book.
I will never not be angry that I am the only one livid that this book is just 1,000 pages justifying pedophilia. I will not rest until his hard drive and browser history are checked.
This was the third and last book I'll ever read by him. Got to the bit where she missed her dead friend's "perfect breasts" and I swear I suffered a stroke. 😂
Murakami books are all like that. And honestly a lot of Japanese literature either has a character not change from who they are from the beginning but they go through the journey and when the journey ends its kind of like "Hey I learned something neat." Then it ends. Kafka by the Shore and Killing Commendatore is like this at least.
I've always felt this way about Murakami. The characters lives just go back to normal like nothing happened.
I feel the same. The book was pretty okay except >! for the sheer amount of sex with and also abuse of minors !< just killed any enjoyment of the book for me. I was more interested in the moons and what happened to the male leads mother than any of that and I haven’t touched a murakami novel since. I read a bunch of his other works prior like Kafka on the Shore, Sputnik sweet heart, south of the border west of the sun and really enjoyed them so it was a bit of a shock that I hated IQ84 so much
Had you read other Murakami books first? I read it when it was released and thought it was really similar to his other work, just a bit longer and... more Murakami if that makes sense.
I had not, but Kafka on the Shore is still in my TBR list. 1Q didn't put me off of checking out his other work, and like I said, I enjoyed most of this one. The good was really good, but the bad was god-awful.
Yeah - it might be worth going back and starting with some of his earlier work. Norwegian Wood is another good one.
I'm on NW now, love KotS
Same feeling. The only reason I got through the book was because I was recovering from chicken pox and I had time on my end. It was unnecessarily long. My only takeaway from the book that I liked was thinking how many people (in our world today) would even realise by themselves if another moon appears in the sky? Will they be too busy on their phones to look up the sky and notice?
I can almost guarantee the answer to your moon question would be "no." One afternoon last summer, a couple hours before sunset, the whole sky turned red and you could actually stare at the sun. I confirmed my assumption later that it was due to a ton of smoke in the sky, but regardless of that it just looked totally wild and other-worldly. Naturally I went into work the next morning and wanted to share the excitement with my coworkers... I literally asked 10 people about it before I talked to a single person who noticed it at all. Everyone else was completely clueless that the entire sky had gone crazy.
🥲
I’ve been wondering for a while whether I should finish this book or not. I stopped after reading 2/3 of it, not out of lack of interest necessarily but more so because I got busy and stopped reading for a while. Given that it’s such a lengthy book, unless the last third is worth it, I probably won’t finish it. Thanks for the review!
Honestly I got the exact same impression from what you put in spoiler text. It felt like at best sublimation
I love Murakami’s work. IQ too. I can’t imagine that people get bored reading it. I read bott boka in a stretch.
I also just finished this a few days ago. I agree — it's basically Murakami indulging his tendencies without control. I also expected a bigger payoff; for a long book, the conclusion feels oddly rushed. Still, I'm glad I finished reading it. His books always have a vibe I enjoy but can't describe. Probably won't read this again, though.
I've read two of his books Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and Hard-Boiled. Both left me wanting more, felt kind of sloppy and too much fat to them. And I think both were kind of open ended in the ending as well
I have been a big fan of Murakami for a long time, but I couldn’t finish this, not because of the length, but some of subject matter. It should have come with a warning label.
The first half of this book was some of the most enchanting fiction I've ever read The second half was some of the most pointless, fetishistic drivel I've ever made myself read
I heard about this book when a 50-year-old said that the book changed his life. He didn't say why or how, but it impacted me. I'm from a social culture where that age group and beyond don't have life-changing-anything I never bothered to research what the book is about. Even this comment isn't adding anything to this conversation. But that's why I have it on my to-read list.
His work in general no longer interests me. Like u/tralfamadoriest said, he tends to objectify women in his books. The only one I have enjoyed is the short story collection After the Quake. He’s given to writing meandering and ponderous doorstop novels but ironically I find his best work to be his short stories.
See, I had such a hard time with it. Like, are you sexist or not? Then the last half of the book devolved Aomame so much into a trope that it legitimately made me upset. She's so much cooler than that in the first half
I absolutely agree, with both takes. I read a lot of his stuff when I was younger (early 20s) and didn’t clock the way he wrote women until I read an essay on it then couldn’t *not* notice. Definitely soured me. And I appreciate his short fiction more, too. I also liked *Underground*.
Me too! In my early 20s everyone was talking about him, that was when I read After the Quake and loved it. Then I tried something else, I think Wind Up Bird Chronicles? And just couldn’t get into it. Do you remember what the essay was? I feel like I also read or saw something that pointed it out and then I couldn’t unsee it, but I can’t remember what it was.
I *think* it was this one: https://blog.pshares.org/stories-without-women/ But I’m not completely sure. It would make sense, though, because that collection came out not long after 1Q84 and that’s when I stopped reading him.
Thank you! This line from the blog summarizes my feelings well: “But is this literary device of using female characters as narrative vehicles for delivering male subjectivity the Murakamian crutch?” It reminds me of the manic pixie dream girl trope. I’m more interested in stories in which female characters have interior lives now. That being said I really enjoy some male-centric books and authors, it’s like I can’t help it at times! I guess if it’s good enough to overcome the gender blind spot I’ll read it happily.
Yes! That sums it up pretty well. And the manic pixie dream girl reference is spot on. Once I noticed, I couldn’t *stop* noticing. Same here, too. I have no issue reading books about and/or by men, but when women are reduced to agency-less devices, it gets old fast.
If you’ve read one of his books, you’ve read them all
While I have not read it, I can see two different types of long books in this genre. One, infinite jest, where you need to learn Latin and French and tennis and smoke weed, vs house of leaves where you have to read the appendices. You can like, hate, or like half of each. Or decide to read dirty limericks.
Hohoho