Reviews

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

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space_owl_'s review

4.0

I loved this little story! It's a simple magical realist/horror-lite story that feels like a good mix of Kafka and Miyazaki (especially Spirited Away). I would say it's a great one for a young adult reader. I didn't mind that it was thematically light, because the world was just so much fun to uncover as the book went along. The publication itself is a strange one which adds to the fun, and I feel like the story wouldn't be as engaging without it. Every few pages have a graphic design-styled image that relates to the current moment in the story, and the book physically unfolds in a strange way. Just charming all around!

I have been reading a lot of Japanese contemporary fiction recently, finally trying a Murakami, and I'm excited to see what else he brings in larger formats. I saw Drive My Car a few years ago and was obsessed with it, so my pull toward his writing is strengthening with every piece of art connected to him that I come across.

esha_tujjohora_3786's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad

3.75

iamannemarshall's review against another edition

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Weird, depressing and creepy

chelsemerick's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

chelseavk's review

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adventurous fast-paced

2.5

karenholmes's review

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4.0

Short piece with a nightmarish imaginery that revolves around a library, but it talks about loneliness and connections.
I have to admit, I started readng it because I thought it would be another piece to add to my "books about the love of books" but no. Even though it has some delicious sentences about books and reading, this is not a celebration of libraries.
In a sense, it reminds me of Neil Gaiman's worlds, dark and scary but at the same time with a cloak of magic that makes you stare and not go away. In a horrified kind of way, but stay.