I am not a big fan of Murakami. It's not that I don't like him. On the contrary, I think his books are very readable. Every time I come across one of his books I gladly read it. But, there is nothing that would push me to the library to buy one of his books. I never put him in any of my lists of favorite books and I am not one of those people who wait impatiently for his next novel.
The main reason for this is that for me his books are quite forgettable. There is not a character, or a feeling, or an event that would linger after I finish the book. I read Norwegian Wood maybe 2 months ago and I can't recall anything, only the main atmosphere of the book, which as in most of his books is depressing and quite dark. It is a "love novel", but strangely, that love hasn't remained with me.
I have to return the book to my friend and I found that I had left bookmarks in two places. I find these excerpts quite true and well-composed. Here they are.
[...]Memory is a funny thing. When I was in the scene I hardly paid it any attention. I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression, certainly never imagined that 18 years later I would recall it in such detail. I didn't give a damn about the scenery that day. I was thinking about myself. I was thinking about the beautiful girl walking next to me. I was thinking about the two of us together, and then about myself again. I was at that age, that time of life when every sight, every feeling, every thought came back, like a boomerang, to me. And worse, I was in love. Love with complications. Scenery was the last thing on my mind.
Now, though, that meadow scene is the first thing that comes back to me. The smell of the grass, the faint chill of the wind, the line of the hills, the barking of a dog: these are the first things, and they come with absolute clarity. [...] And yet, as clear as the scene may be, no one is in it. No one.[...]
[...] "Hey, tell me, what do you think the best thing is about being rich?" [...] "Being able to say you don't have any money. Like, if I suggested to a school friend we do something she could say, 'Sorry, I don't have any money'. Which is something I could never say if the situation was reversed. If I said 'I don't have any money', it would really mean 'I don't have any money'. It's sad. Like, if a pretty girl says 'I look terrible today, I don't want to go out', that's ok, but if an ugly girl says the same thing people would laugh at her. That's what the world was like for me.[...]"
The main reason for this is that for me his books are quite forgettable. There is not a character, or a feeling, or an event that would linger after I finish the book. I read Norwegian Wood maybe 2 months ago and I can't recall anything, only the main atmosphere of the book, which as in most of his books is depressing and quite dark. It is a "love novel", but strangely, that love hasn't remained with me.
I have to return the book to my friend and I found that I had left bookmarks in two places. I find these excerpts quite true and well-composed. Here they are.
[...]Memory is a funny thing. When I was in the scene I hardly paid it any attention. I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression, certainly never imagined that 18 years later I would recall it in such detail. I didn't give a damn about the scenery that day. I was thinking about myself. I was thinking about the beautiful girl walking next to me. I was thinking about the two of us together, and then about myself again. I was at that age, that time of life when every sight, every feeling, every thought came back, like a boomerang, to me. And worse, I was in love. Love with complications. Scenery was the last thing on my mind.
Now, though, that meadow scene is the first thing that comes back to me. The smell of the grass, the faint chill of the wind, the line of the hills, the barking of a dog: these are the first things, and they come with absolute clarity. [...] And yet, as clear as the scene may be, no one is in it. No one.[...]
[...] "Hey, tell me, what do you think the best thing is about being rich?" [...] "Being able to say you don't have any money. Like, if I suggested to a school friend we do something she could say, 'Sorry, I don't have any money'. Which is something I could never say if the situation was reversed. If I said 'I don't have any money', it would really mean 'I don't have any money'. It's sad. Like, if a pretty girl says 'I look terrible today, I don't want to go out', that's ok, but if an ugly girl says the same thing people would laugh at her. That's what the world was like for me.[...]"