Ever since I started reading Japanese mystery novels of Kanae Minato & Keigo Higashino, I had a vivid fascination for everything Japanese. Being an anime and manga fan added fuel to this. When I was thinking of exploring Japanese writers beyond Kanae Minato & Keigo Higashino, the other name that came to me was Haruki Murakami. I have seen that name many a times in the library and decided to try one of his works this time.
The story centers around the narrator and protagonist, Toru Okada who lives with his wife Kumiko and the cat Noboru Wataya. Kumiko is the single earning member of the family as Toru has recently quit his job due to loss of interest. The story starts with the cat going missing. Toru Okada ventures out into the streets in search of the cat where he acquaints May Kasahara. Kumiko's brother Noboru Wataya suggests Malta Kano to take help of a medium to find the cat. As the story progresses, Toru comes across a wide variety of characters like a medium, a prostitute, a war veteran, morbid girl, the politician brother in law. To add salt to the problems; Kumiko goes missing and is found to have left Toru Okada for good. What transpires next forms the rest of the story. Starting as an investigative story; it slowly turns out to be a story of family disintegration, of war experiences, of self realization.
The entire book is presented as three books - The Thieving Magpie, The Bird as Prophet, The Birdcatcher. With around 700 pages, the read can be frustrating at times. The story seems to happen in real time as well as fantasy and it confused me a lot through out the read. The genre which is magical realism is a totally new genre for me. Probably this might be the reason. Given the number of pages; the read was long but did not tire me out at any point. It did keep me engrossed; but it was really confusing as to keep track of what was reality and what was fantasy. Once Toru starts going into the well, I started losing track of what was real. The prose is simple enough. I liked the part where the war veteran tells Toru of his incredible escape during the World War. It was heart moving and violent at the same time. The author was able to convey the emotions properly through the story. Another part which I really was able to connect to was the time when the protagonist spends inside the well reflecting his life. A sort of self realization and reflecting back on the life which I was able to relate. I was able to picturize myself in that spot during those scenes in the story. I have heard that Murakami's books can be a different and hard read. It was indeed different but was not boring. I read the e-versions and there were quite a few spelling mistakes within. Solitude, desire, power, self realization and being stark opposite personalities seem to the themes resonating and recurring throughout the book. Noboru and Wataya seems to be pole opposites. Even the Kano sisters. Even though living in a busy city, each character seems to be settling in a pod alienated from others. There are definitely places where the book can make you stop and ponder over the philosophical aspect.
For many, this can be a cumbersome read, given the volume and genre. I always wanted to try this genre out once and this was quite an opportunity and I did like it. But at the same time; I was not comfortable totally till the last. There were things which did not make sense at all. Having said that, I liked how he was able to gel the philosophical aspects into the story. Being able to read through the book fully is a credit in itself. A good read for people who would need a different experience and people with patience to sit through the ever shifting fantasy and realism.
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