Murakami has taken risks in writing this book, but I think they have paid off. His plot and the way in which he writes is more than a step off the ordinary, and his style doesn't warm to everyone.
I think one of the things Murakami is particularly good at is making the reader see things from a different perspective, in fact, this is what the book is all about. About half way into the book Murakami introduces the idea that a person can 'split' metaphorically,but explains it literally. Miu describes to Sumire of seeing another Miu in her hotel room from a Ferris wheel, and K describes Miu at the end when she has white hair (to symbol the other half of her) as "an empty shell." Here, Murakami is saying that we can lose a part of ourselves, and I think that by explaining this as though it happened literally was a clever thing to do because it allows the reader to work out what he the author is saying without being spoon fed, and adds depth to the idea as it allows Murakami to explore the analogy more elaborately, and gives him more artistic license.
However, this argument can be turned around and readers could believe that the surreal nature of the book is the very thing that ruins it. When I first read it, it was hard to see what point Murakami was trying to make, and I felt that literally splitting Sumire was a little too far fetched, and ruined the credibility of the book. If Murakami wanted to be poetic in the way he presented his idea about our ability to split ourselves, he needn't have been so crude as to write that Miu and Sumire physically separated themselves. The book looks on life very romantically, saying things like, "I loved the beautiful stillness of the songs, " and I don't think the metaphor of splitting physically fits in with the rest of the book.
Despite this, I still think that this book by Murakami is a success- I believe it will make a change from the usual standard of books that are around at the moment, and will broaden the minds of the English speaking population.
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8 comments:
You are clear in your comments about a character splitting and losing a part of themselves. This, I agree, is a strong element of the novel.
What do you mean when you say the book is a 'step off the ordinary'? In terms of it being different from the way all other books are written? Or just its subject matter?
I think I mean that the book tries to make sure it isn't blending into all the other books, the way Murakami writes just sounds different from stuff I've read before.
I agree with you Megan. The novel has a different feel to anything I've read before. I think that this is probably due to the language that it was written in. I think that we might have lost a bit of the imagery through the translation, however I still think that the transation is wonderful, it really gets across the delicate style.
i don't think it matters that the book is translated or not... what we have, the finished product is unique and thought provoking!
I agree with the whole splitting thing, although it does fit with the theme of split personalities. But what I'm not sure of is whether or not the ferris wheel is inteneded as a metaphor within the book, or an actual happening, if that makes sense
i think despite the physical impossibility, murakami could have intended the ferris wheel to be a literal event. i mean he has (and will do so later on in the book) taken us into the bizarre world of crazy metaphors and the like, perhaps the ferris wheel scene isn't such a stretch of the imagination since we have been exposed to the surreal pretty much as soon as we opened the book.
Heeeyaaaa Megan!
I'm not entirely sure I agree with you about the split persons thing not fitting in with the rest of the book. On the other hand I can see how you might interpret the way Murakami makes it a literal even is in fact another metaphor within the novel. But I think splitting persons or at least identity is a key theme in the book, from the moment Sumire meets Miu, she begans loosing some of her identity, changing her lifestyle, her fashion , her writing....almost as if she is split in two from before and after meeting Miu??
i agree..Murakami takes risks when writing this book...i think that it may not appeal to evryone, but i think that he has created a sucessful and 'thought provoking' piece of literature!
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