Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Brewed coffee & false allegations. Thinking all you are is grey. Tokyo skies & bullet trains. Chlorine & matching suits. The cold that comes after people abandon you. An unplanned strong first step into Murakami’s work, with sadly more relatable subject matter than I care to admit. A dark mirror into my mind for the past little while.

I was hoping for a little more of the magical realism he is known for, and found the pace slower than necessary in parts. But at it’s core is beautiful prose, clear human observations & an infectious sense of place. Looking forward to rest of his collection. 🤍

Content Warnings

kc_ya_later's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

As a survivor of

Spoiler

sexual trauma, in the “post-me-too-movement” (BIG quotes around that), this was not the time I wanted to be reading a cis man’s fictional musing about the repercussions another cis man might face if falsely accused of sexual assault.

In fact, I don’t think there will ever be a time I want to read that take again.

20 years ago I couldn’t get enough of Murakami’s writing — it was exactly the kind of magical realist worlds my pensive, identity-forming, wallowing and nostalgic self wanted to exist in back then. I started on a high with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka On The Shore, and honestly it’s been downhill from there.

When I revisit his books today — most recently/alarmingly was my long-proclaimed Favorite Book™️ “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World”) — the misogyny, fatphobia and objectification of women is just too f**cking repelling to wade thru to get to swim in his dreamy subconscious anymore. Clearly I grew up to better see this, and he still has yet to.

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jolienvandera's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

I liked it and found it eyeopening towards my own life. I understand some people not liking it, because it's not very Murakami-esk, in the use of magical realism, however the sexual aspect of a Murakami book is very present. I like this about his books but I can understand some people don't like it. The dreams were weird in the beginning, but they gave us a sense of foreshadowing. However we, the readers, were left to fi ish the puzzle ourself without ever knowing the correct solution - very typical Murakami. Not my favorite, but a good one

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bunitsu's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

no spoilers!!!
Colourless set my standards for books so much higher! i only recently got into reading and before reading it, i had read 2-3 books trying to get into reading but nothing really drew me in. i just thought was one of those people that couldn’t get into reading. But this changed everything. This book kept me on my toes. Every time i turned a page i didn’t want to stop because of how engaging it was. I’m a pretty slow reader so the fact i got through this book in 2 weeks says something.

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alaskachan's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

dagoth_ur's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Ok my first actual murakami book, I started Kafka on the shore and advidly disliked it (however I would like to reread it as I have matured a lot since then) I really enjoyed this

I really like how gripping this was despite when you think about nothing really happens
The character development is so subtle from how he starts eating well and no longer feeling scuicudal
I really wanted to know what was up with sara
I also probably really liked this book because I am a lot alike to the main dude
But what happens to Haida? And what was up with that homoerotic tension twords the end of their friendship?????

Content Warnings

meggeb's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

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