A review by rainbowesque
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is my reread. Once in a while in the last few I used to gaze at this book on my shelf and try to remember the plot. But miraculously I couldn't remember a single thing in the book despite reading it only last year. After starting this reread, I checked my past review. I wrote there that I was very angry at the male protagonist, Hajime for lying, and not taking the control over situations. Now I know, I can empathise with him deeply. This time I didn't get angry, not even for once. I guess, this is why age matters. Recent experiences have taught me very well. Although yukiko will always be my dearest character in the book, now I can understand Hajime too. Shimamoto, I think, is made to be an enigma.