It all started with 1Q84. At first, reading the first few chapters of the novel, I felt bored on how the pace of the story was going. A woman stuck in traffic inside a cab, listening to classical music, how boring can that be as an opening chapter? But luckily I didn’t give up on it too hastily… I pushed on and read the next few chapters. Then, just like being stung by a bee, so sudden and unexpectedly, I was hooked. Reading the novel and getting used to the gradual development of the plot, slowing growing into an imagined world I can relate to, Haruki Murakami became my newest favorite writer.
When I had finished 1Q84, I was left with the sensation of relief but with the longing for a continuation to the story, a sequel. I wanted more of Murakami’s world of fantasy and mystery. It awakened a passion for Japanese culture and geography in me, that was lost sometime during my teenage life. Long before, I wanted to travel or migrate to the Land of the Rising Sun, I wanted to learn the language, dive deep into the life of living in modern Japan. I gave up those dreams when I realized that I wanted to go somewhere else where earthquakes or other natural calamities were not that prevalent or common. After 1Q84, I read another book from Stephen King, “The Wind through the Keyhole,” which ended in satisfaction, but I still longed for Murakami’s world.
I was able to find other books from Murakami. I read “The Wild Sheep Chase” which is one of his earliest works. “After the Quake” which is a collection of short stories left me quite impressed, he is indeed a master storyteller, even for short stories. After reading “After Dark” I was overwhelmed with its short-lived yet mysterious plot and the subtlety of its ending. “Kafka on the Shore” was the last novel of Murakami that I had finished, and I was fascinated and left with awe at the magically intense strangeness of the runaway Kafka’s adventures, alternating with the escalating search and travel of Nakata and his sidekick Hoshino. After reading those books of Murakami, I realized that his writing style and way he develops his stories are the ones I have a stronger connection with, compared to my longtime favorite, Stephen King. With King, he is indeed the king and master of mysterious and fantastic stories however, its probably just me, for my mind tends to lean on a more simplistic approach of storytelling, and Murakami’s style and approach is the one I can relate to quite easily, and perhaps follow as an example for my future endeavors in fiction writing.
I am currently reading his other masterpiece, “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” which seems to be a longer story than the previous ones I have read. It is majestic, and I am enthralled at the mysteries and the surprises it brings me as I read it. Murakami’s stories are the ones I can savor and read slowly, just like eating a favorite dish slowly so as to not consume it quickly, and to enjoy it while it lasts.