Reviews

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one, and idk how to describe them yet. I'm gonna have to ruminate on that a bit...

One of the biggest complaints people have about this book is about Ines being so apathetic. On one hand, I think that's a unique perspective to have-- usually MCs are very active and reactive. And IMO, that's for a good reason. Because after reading this, I appreciate her POV's uniqueness and the way it shapes the way the story unfolds... but I'm not sure I *enjoyed* reading from that POV. I want to know what's going on and to dig deeper into these mysteries and turn this into a legitimate *mystery* story... but Ines doesn't. So we never get that. That said, though, I do actually very much enjoy the very dreamy, hazy atmosphere created by her POV, and I think that's the strongest aspect of the entire book. So, like I said... mixed feelings.

I was tentative going into this, because I knew it'd been described as plotless and that a lot of people were dissatisfied by the lack of explanation. Because of this, I feel like I actually got more explanation than I expected. Sure, things are weird, and we don't totally understand everything happening, but that's ok. I like Murakami-- I'm used to this. The plotlessness, however, ties into Ines's apathy, IMO, and I feel pretty much the same about the plotlessness as I do about the apathy.

The more I try to explain this, the more I think my issue with the book boils down to this: I don't mind a meandering, pointless plot. I don't *mind* an apathetic main character. I don't mind weird things happening and never getting explained. BUT. I didn't totally *enjoy* the way those 3 elements combined together in this book, whether just because they were all combined, or because the way it was executed. I think this is probably why I sometimes am dissatisfied with Murakami novels and sometimes really enjoy them. It's a tricky balance, and the way it was executed in this one didn't work as well for me as it did for other people.

Also: I wish it had ended differently...

Spoiler

Personally, I interpret it as her actually escaping. IDK, maybe that's just my optimistic side. However, I really wish that it would've ended with her becoming one of those re-animated people like Sandy(? was that his name?) and eventually like Baby. I think that would've fit the atmosphere/tone and her character better than either a potential escape or an attempted escape that ends up failing (depending on how you interpret the ending). Because I feel like they chose all these people for Catherine House *because* they're broken, and they probably won't be missed. And the house sees any of them as a potential person to become one of those zombie-people. Hence Ines being so special because she truly has nowhere else to go. So I feel like her truly finally becoming one with the house, fulfilling the inevitable, would be the most satisfying ending. But alas, we got an ambiguous ending instead.

monaluffy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

It is infuriating at times, but it is so well written and I don't know I love it. I was seduced by Catherine.

cupcates's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

what a book!!!!! nothing happened and I was tired

kathryn_smth's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.5

The second that you find out anything interesting about the story, it ends. I usually love an unlikable narrator but this one was truly painful to read. There were pages and pages of prose that add nothing to the story:

She spends days naked in a tower. There’s several paragraphs dedicated to her friends building an igloo on campus. Pages of her watching movies with a guy she’s trying to seduce. Also, on that note, why is she always thinking she can seduce people???

Anyway, other than occasional prose that was genuinely pretty and therefore worth including, this book was lifeless.

More...