A review by cakrawala
Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami

reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Short story about a young man, currently in his summer break feeling uncertain with his life. Loneliness, friendship, and love, hide within every sentence written. There is no plot, or a specific story written in this book, just a short break where the main character meets his best friend in his hometown and accidentally encounters with a girl with 9 fingers, whom he hadn't seen since he left that small town. There is no character development or any emotion written down here. It feels like the characters are merely existing.  I couldn't say much about his writing style because it still feels unfamiliar.

This is my first time to read Haruki Murakami's work. I must admit that I felt uncomfortable reading the part where he describes woman, he should've shut his mouth and leave it alone. Some parts seemed unnecessary and sexualized woman. The story itself is quite absurd, with no plot or intention. As I mentioned before, it's only a short story about what happened in the main character's life during his 18 days of summer break.

What's the purpose of this book then? It might bring the reader into a dilemma, wondering why I read it in the first place? Maybe, the intention of Haruki Murakami was simply to pour all of his imagination and write a mundane story of a young man in his early 20s. That was pretty realistic, as in our 20, most of people just trying to figure out what they want to do with their life. This thing could be a reflection for us.

A quotation I took from the book, " There are no truly strong people. Only people who pretend to be strong " could be a good reflection and reminder for us.