The book wasn’t so much about love and death as about dependency and suicide. The love stories in the novel did not capture my imagination as it did not rise above the emotional and sexual dependency the characters had for each other. The deaths in the novel were overwhelming suicides. True, Midori’s parents both die of tumours, but in a way, to Toru, the main character of the book, this is a peripheral event. When it comes down to it, it isn’t so much about love as it is about survival.
Nobody actually understood anyone else, it seemed like. Everyone was closed within themselves, all prototypes of Nagasawa, the ambitious playboy. I think the passage with Nagasawa, Toru and Hatsumi is pivotal in understanding who Toru is. Nagasawa says to Toru:
“But Wantanabe’s practically the same as me. He may be a nice guy, but deep down in his heart, he is incapable of loving anybody. There’s always some part of him somewhere that is wide awake and detached. He has that hunger that won’t go away.” (277)
In some ways, I think Nagasawa hit the nail on the head. Despite this novel being written in the first person with Toru as the narrator, the readers never really understand him. I was almost taken by surprise when he declared to Midori that he loved her and that he would always take care of her. Really? When did that happen?
But I suppose this sense of terrible isolation, even from your own self, was the point Murakami was trying to make. There is no redemption in this novel – only leaving behind the past and trudging towards the future. It is most depressing.
I wonder – is Japanese society really as bleak as Murakami painted?
(Sidenote: lovely food and lovely names though. Lots of miso soup and rice, and beautiful names like Naoko.)
(Read about the differences in Jay Rubin's and Alfred Birnbaum's translations here. It is actually quite different.)
4 comments:
Hallo, I followed the link you left in my blog to your review. Very interesting to read another person's perspective. I rather thought the disconnection among all the characters was what made the book appeal so strongly to me. The almost farcical quality to all the meaningless interactions among people, except for those like Naoko and to a lesser extent Toru for whom the underlying isolation cannot be covered up or hidden...To me, it felt very real and very much the way I perceive my own life in relation to others. (I also found the book surprisingly funny, albeit with a very wry sort of humor.)
I don't think that Murakami's books are necessarily illustrative of Japanese society specifically; he's known for being a very "Westernized" author if I remember correctly.
having read the different translations, I have to say that I'm more inclined towards Rubin's version. It sounds more literal, as if it's been directly translated from the original Japanese. Because of its awkward descriptions, it reveals a bit of prose that I imagined existed in the original.
I recently completed A Wild Sheep's Chase. If you thought you've seen HM at his psycho best, wait til you read this. Maybe it's because I was rushing through the book towards the end (it was already 6am when I finished it), but I really felt like I went on a wild goose's chase reading the book. I couldn't find the theme behind the story, nor did I understand why the story existed.
troisroyaumes - hi, thanks for your comment. I agree, Murakami did create the sense of disconnection very well.
I've heard it said that Murakami's writings are Westernized as well. I wonder in what way?
smudgi3 - Interesting that you prefer Rubin's because it is more awkward... 6am? Whoa. Would be interested to hear more about what you thought of A Wild Sheep's Chase.
I may pick up another book by Murakami, probably something with more fantastical elements in the story, and then later, maybe, Underground, his non-fiction work.
well, if I wanted to read english literature, I would go find an English writer. The reason why I read the translated HM was because my Japanese wasn't up to standard. Maybe you can say that I like to act all poser and Japanese wannabe.
Critically speaking, I would say that AWSC was an utter waste of my time. Or it could be I was lacking in some level of understanding. The book started out mysterious and very typical NW, until the middle. It became slightly funny (as in humourous) and then further on the book, it became seriously funny (as in weird). If I were writing an review, I could bluff and say the book was spiritual and use analogies heavily.
I still hope someone can explain the book to me.
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