the wind up bird chronicle by haruki murakami

It’s a book you will almost certainly have heard of, by a writer you can’t possible be unaware of, and as well as being a work that launched a thousand memes, it’s actually a very, very good read 🙂

To kick the month off, though, I’m looking at a book I’ve read several times before, albeit in pre-blogging times, so it’s a perfect opportunity to rectify what looks like a surprising oversight in my catalogue of reviews. I’ve got a lot of books lined up (too many, if I’m honest), and I think you’ll all be interested in my selections, even if they’re probably slanted more towards older, even classic, works. Sometimes, though, I guess that's okay.Having finally got all of my posts on 2021 out of the way, I’m now free to start a new year of reviewing, and as most of you will be aware, round these parts that means only one thing – #JanuaryInJapan! Yes, as has been the case for many years now, I’ll be focusing on Japanese literature for a month or so, and I’m looking forward to this annual opportunity to indulge my love of J-Lit immensely. I felt like I had to really push through this book at times, and I did not feel rewarded for doing-so. But that didn't really make up for the dedication of finishing the book front to back. I will say, I found the content itself very creative. Murakami will open a door, and then open another door without closing the first one he opened. It's what most of the book is made up of, and I found it hard to enjoy at times. At times, I found myself incredibly bored reading biographies on these characters. You get to know a few characters pretty darn well, but there is a ton of mystery behind each of them that will drive you crazy.

The book is constantly building plots around each character introduced throughout the story - a few characters playing a more crucial role than others. And the last page did nothing to answer any of my questions. It took me about a month to accomplish altogether. I will say that I am honestly feeling disappointed the novel is a decently thick 600 pages. About thirty minutes ago, I finished reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.

The wind up bird chronicle by haruki murakami