The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - Aug 2022 Book Group Discussion thread

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roberton
roberton
Aug 2022
7:43pm, 28 Aug 2022
1,332 posts
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roberton
I read this about 10 years ago and thought it excellent. It was my first Murakami novel (more on this later) after having read WITAWITAR (his autobiographical/running book - very on topic for this site!)

The magical realism aspects worked for me in a way they sometimes don’t in the few others I’ve read that have that as a strong element. The oddly reactive protagonist was fresh. The strange encounters, the coincidences, all gave a great sense of something building without tiring me out trying to tie them together - I just kept track of them and took them on board as they linked together (or didn’t) - like the main character would do.

And the well. I loved the well. I could really imagine what it would be like to have this quiet space, to think, to feel, and then to start to see or hear things that may or not be there.

There was one grim bit I remember, but for me it worked as another strange tale from another interesting character, despite its cruelty. Besides, I’ve read a lot of Ian Banks.

I don’t think it really ends up all properly resolved, and I don’t remember those bits that were anyway. But it didn’t seem to matter.

As dippy implies, there are no female characters worthy of the noun. In this novel though I think he gets away with it as the most important woman is of course absent. Does seem hard to imagine the main character ever knew her though.

So, five stars out of five for me.

At the time.

The only issue I now have is the common complaint made about Murakami. I’ve since read Sputnik Sweetheart and Dance Dance Dance by him and… they both have a main character who is quite similar in his passivity, they both involve the guy losing his woman in mysterious circumstances and lots of weird things happen as he (sort of) goes looking for. It’s uncanny!

Having said that I enjoyed both of them too, but helped by having a couple of years between them. Do like dippy says.

I do think Wind Up Bird Chronicle is very good, and I think it is a good choice as a first work to read by him. But if you’ve read some of his others (or at least the ones I have), you’ll know exactly whether you will like this or not, and pretty much what will happen 😂
Columba
Columba
Aug 2022
9:02pm, 30 Aug 2022
21,908 posts
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Columba
Before I read back... Finally finished this book this afternoon. What a relief. I started off with high hopes, was already struggling by half-way, but determined to finish.

I feel it may well be a Very Clever Book, but I would have to go back and re-read to find out how all the different bits were interlinked, and frankly life's too short, at least mine is.
Columba
Columba
Aug 2022
9:08pm, 30 Aug 2022
21,909 posts
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Columba
I suppose it has a kind of happy ending. At least the cat came back; and the protagonist knows his wife will come back when she's finished her prison sentence.

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About This Thread

Maintained by McGoohan
Some regard this as Murakami's masterpiece. Here, from the plot summary on the back of my edition:

Howard is 27 years old and lives on Duckworld, a planet similar to Earth, but inhabited by anthropomorphic ducks and orbited by twin moons. As he is reading PlayDuck in his living room, his armchair suddenly propels him out of his apartment building and into outer space; Howard eventually lands on Earth, in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon arriving, Howard encounters a woman being attacked by thugs, whom he defeats using a unique style of martial arts. The woman introduces herself as Beverly Switzler, and decides to take Howard to her apartment and let him spend the night.

The following day, Beverly takes Howard to Phil Blumburtt, a scientist who Beverly hopes can help Howard return to his world. After Phil is revealed to be only a janitor, Howard resigns himself to life on Earth and rejects Beverly's aid. He soon applies for a job as a janitor at a local romance spa, but eventually quits and returns to Beverly, who plays in a band called Cherry Bomb. At the club where Cherry Bomb is performing, Howard comes across their manager and confronts him when he insults the band. A fight breaks out, in which Howard wins.

Now read on....

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