A review by yooniereads
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is probably one of the strongest anthologies I’ve read of Murakami’s. It’s so human with his familiar wit and knack for unreliable narrators and blurring the line between reality and imagination. The only reason I can’t give it the full five stars was because of how weak the first story was.

But Murakami’s writing is so reflective and heartfelt. To exemplify a few, he wrote gems such as:

“… If it was all right for God to test man, why was it wrong for man to test God?” (“All God’s Children Can Dance”)

“We take it for granted that the earth beneath our feet is stationary. We even talk about people being ‘down to earth’ or having their feet firmly planted on the ground. But suddenly one day we see it isn’t true. The earth, the boulders, that are supposed to be solid, all of a sudden turn as mushy as liquid.” (“Thailand”)

“‘Whatever distinguishes one lump of flesh from when we’re alive, we’re all the same once we’re dead,’ he said. ‘Just used-up shells.’” (“Honey Pie”)

It’s not, per say, a big part of the Murakami canon of works, but it’s one of those filler works that are just so brilliant at showing his genius and what he’s capable of drawing from his readers with stories that are so brief and miniature.
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