There is a certain magic in every work of H. Murakami. His writings often put me in a certain dimension or universe that is totally foreign to me. As much as I want to go out of this universe, I can’t. Not even when I close the book or stop reading. Once you enter his world, there is no turning back. You will feel the change inside you. I may just exaggerate things, but I know, people who have read H. Murakami will understand how I feel.
I have read some of his famous novels. And I must say, that up until now, the story, the emotions, and the characters continue to haunt me from time to time. Sometimes the memory of remembering the plots and the characters brings emotion that is more intense than the first time I read the story. It was really weird and surreal. And this weird feeling became more intense when I read H. Murakami’s 24 collection of short stories in the book Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.
If one novel gives me already these surreal experiences, what more reading 24 different stories? It doesn’t matter if they are short, the effect and the Murakami magic is still there. And I must say it is very strong. The reviews/comments about the book being addicting is also very true. It is no joke that I often find myself thirsty of reading more whenever I finished one.
There is also magic in his first point of view narration. The way he tells the stories in a very personal manner only makes the story more effective and intimate.
Moreover, the plots of the stories are very unique. The plots are out of this world, but there is something in the plots that still make it real. I don’t know what, the settings, perhaps? I’m not sure. But the plots are really amazing.
Aside from the plots, what I like most in his writings, in this particular short story collection, is the way he creates his characters. H. Murakami never fails to create interesting and very controversial characters. I’m often excited to meet new characters from his stories. I think, these characters are normal people in his life and he just has this wide and weird imagination that makes these normal people really really interesting.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book. And this is perhaps the best collection of short stories I’ve had so far. And I plan to read it again.
The Stories:
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman – The narrator was assisting his cousin in a hospital back in their hometown. During their whole trip in the area and in the hospital, he was suddenly visited by the memories of the past.
Birthday Girl – A girl, working in a restaurant, was suddenly given one wish by her mysterious employer. Upon receiving the wish, the girl left her work and never came back.
New York Mining Disaster – A story about a man who likes going to the zoo during the night and has a weird habit of cleaning his room during 3am.
Airplane: Or, How He Talked to Himself as If Reading Poetry – A man is having an affair with an older married woman. This woman notice a peculiar habit of the man – talking to himself in poetry.
The Mirror – A dorm caretaker was suddenly bothered by an image he saw in the mirror inside the dorm building.
A Folklore for My Generation: A Pre-History of Late-Stage Capitalism – A story about a couple in love who both decided to not have sex outside marriage.
Hunting Knife – While having a vacation, a man met a woman with her disabled son living in the hotel he’s staying in. Upon meeting the disabled son, the man was confronted with a weird request. He was asked by the son to try using a very intricate and beautiful hunting knife.
A Perfect Day for Kangaroos – A couple wanted to visit a newly born kangaroo. But the zoo is far from their place and they were both busy to schedule a trip to the zoo. When, finally, they had the chance to visit, they were disappointed to see that the kangaroo has already grown up.
Dabchick – A man was asked a password before he meets his future boss.
Man-Eating Cats – The narrator is having a relationship with a married woman. When their relationship was revealed, they decided to go to Greece. As they were trying their best to live here, the narrator encountered a weird experience that changed everything in their life.
A “Poor Aunt” Story – This is about a man who decided to write a story about a poor aunt even though he doesn’t actually have a poor aunt.
Nausea 1979 – A mysterious case of a man who has been receiving weird phone calls. As he received phone calls, he often finds himself vomiting, afterwards.
The Seventh Man – A story of a man and how he tried to cope up with the death of his best friend who was swallowed by a great wave.
The Year of Spaghetti – A story about how eating spaghetti can sometimes be lonely.
Tony Takitani – Tony Takitani is a technical illustrator that is married to a shopaholic woman. One day, when he asked his wife to stop her all-consuming obsession for clothes and shoes, a tragedy happened.
The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cake – The Sharpie company opened a competition for new Sharpie Cake Recipe, and one of the major judges of the competition are fat crows which only eat authentic Sharpie cakes.
The Ice Man – A woman fell in love with an Ice Man, and she knows that once she decided to go with him, she can no longer go back to her normal life.
Crabs – A couple tourists were enjoying their vacation in an island. They’ve discovered a restaurant which offers really good crab dishes. They liked the food and continue to eat there. Until one night, one of the tourists vomited everything and saw the horrifying result of what they’ve eaten.
Firefly – This is an introduction on the novel Norwegian Wood. It talks about a particular part of the book, about a firefly that was given to the main character, and how the main character let it fly away.
Chance Traveler – A gay man met a married woman who later on fell in love with him. Upon their encounter, the man experienced an odd coincidence in his life.
Hanalei Bay – Sachi’s son died and lost his left leg while surfing in Kauai, Hawaii. Every year, she makes sure to travel and visit the place where his son died. One day, she met two Japanese surfers who told her that they saw a one legged surfer standing near the beach watching them.
Where I’m Likely To Find It – A woman is trying to find his husband who mysteriously went missing between the fifth and seventh floor of their apartment building.
The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day – A writer fell in love with a mysterious woman. During their encounter he was able to create a story about a woman who found a kidney-shaped stone in a hot spring. The stone in his story mysteriously moves until one day the stone was gone, just like the mysterious woman he fell in love with.
A Shinagawa Monkey – Mizuki has a mysterious illness of forgetting her name. To find out what’s wrong with her, she asked the help of a professional counselor. With skills and special power they were able to trace down the reason of her illness.
Ratings:
5 out of 5. I really liked it.
The 12 Month Book Challenge 