A review by michael_taylor
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book represents the best and worst of Murakami to me. The best in the sense that it's filled with very poetic, dream like writing. There's so much creativity and intrigue on display. The way the chapters are laid out and linked together are fun to discover.
The worst he has to offer in that it's often confusing and meandering. Entire plots are picked up and dropped at the strangest of times. The professor is the most obvious example. Shows up at the start - disappears for most of the book and then shows up at the end for one of the most awkwardly placed exposition dumps I've ever encountered in a Murakami novel.
It was also oddly obsessed with sex in a way that I didn't feel had a place in the story. The chubby girl in pink never clicked with me.
I suspect that as with most of his other books I'll reflect more fondly on it the further from it I get. If you liked the surreal aspects go read Kafka on The Shore. If you liked the more character driven aspects, go read Colorless Tsukuru. I think both of those display more of what he has to offer as an author. I didn't hate this, I just didn't think it was his best.
The worst he has to offer in that it's often confusing and meandering. Entire plots are picked up and dropped at the strangest of times. The professor is the most obvious example. Shows up at the start - disappears for most of the book and then shows up at the end for one of the most awkwardly placed exposition dumps I've ever encountered in a Murakami novel.
It was also oddly obsessed with sex in a way that I didn't feel had a place in the story. The chubby girl in pink never clicked with me.
I suspect that as with most of his other books I'll reflect more fondly on it the further from it I get. If you liked the surreal aspects go read Kafka on The Shore. If you liked the more character driven aspects, go read Colorless Tsukuru. I think both of those display more of what he has to offer as an author. I didn't hate this, I just didn't think it was his best.