The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
By Haruki Murakami
- Release Date: 1997-10-21
- Genre: Literary Fiction
Description
A "dreamlike and compelling” tour de force (Chicago Tribune)—an astonishingly imaginative detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets from Japan’s forgotten campaign in Manchuria during World War II.
Now with a new introduction by the author.
In a Tokyo suburb, a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife’s missing cat—and then for his wife as well—in a netherworld beneath the city’s placid surface. As these searches intersect, he encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists. Gripping, prophetic, and suffused with comedy and menace, this is one of Haruki Murakami’s most acclaimed and beloved novels.
Reviews
Mr Murakami did it again
5By 濱畑はLike a lot of his books this one also has a lot of dream like surrealism happening, All the characters have somesort of a connection. It’s hard to differentiate reality from dreams, although dreams are sort of a different reality. I enjoyed this book, a lot to unpack after reading it through.Parallel Realities
5By WhirlywheelA perfect book for our times, a modern Through the Looking Glass in many ways. Better than any counseling to allow me to accept that nothing may be as it first seems again.Being and Nothingness
3By Richard BakareThe plot, through line, and character arcs in this book amount to one giant existentialist dream. Every page is dripping with phenomenological explorations of contemporary existence and relationships. The reader is not just an observer but a layer on which some of the exploits play out. You have to resist being pulled into the drama. At every point Murakami blurs the line between dreams and reality. This duality is best captured in a line later in the book where a character states that “…truth was not necessarily fact and fact not necessarily truth.” Likewise in this book life is observed in its essence and not in the literal play by play experience. Add in the perspectives of many untrustworthy narratives and the oddly inserted perspectives from newspapers and other characters, and you end up with chaos swirling in the mind. I felt like I was sitting on the ground in a field, wind swirling everything around me, trying to navigate calmly through this maze of wonder. I see now why Murakami is so celebrated, even if you need a way finder to navigate the plot.Incredable
5By jgggggggggggggggLayers and layers of amazing storytelling.I’ll Have to Think About This
3By d8thA well in which to think. I skipped over the vivid description of being flayed alive. Still thinking….. Brother-in-law gets what’s coming. I think. Well,well,well.Literally my favorite book!
5By brunaaliceThis book is beautifully written. I love how this book allows you to connect emotionally to the characters and story as you read along. It’s such a great book! I couldn’t put it down. It has become my all time favorite book. I recommend to literally everyone.The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
5By kjarteI felt like I inhabited this book, I was sad when it came to an end. It had so much texture, color and emotion. The characters are so well formed that I knew them as individuals with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies. It’s a book that transports you to another place and allows the reader an individual interpretation.wow
5By Synergy789I just finished this book. It 's difficult to describe. Take the ride! WowBest book I've ever read!!
5By mianheEverything about this book is just absolutely amazing.A surreal masterpiece
5By GryokThis has to be the best book I have ever read. So much is going on in this book and it always keeps you on your toes. Murakami is a great writer that can turn any topic into something surreal and out of this world. I couldn't wait to finish reading just so that I could start it all over again. This is an adventure no reader should miss!Fantastic
5By Katsy3g4This book will sweep you off your feet and take you on a wild ride through the strange life of Toru Okada. It keeps your mind stimulated and your expectations sky high. What a great book with a great ending! I would definitely give this book a try.Amazing
5By MommyliuMy first introduction to Murakami.Amazing
5By Auggie's ManEasily one of the most incredible books I've ever read. To describe it would not do it justice. Read this book.Read this
5By AmyhemingI cannot quite articulate how.....but this book was life changing. Murakami manages to take the most mundane event (a man eating spaghetti and looking for his lost cat) into something so unbelievable and compelling. This book made laugh, cry and think. Highly recommended. Please read this book.Unbeatable!
5By WinterMute512Dreamlike, elegant and brutal, this is by far Murakami at his best! Both easy to follow and enjoy, while at the same time deeply spiritual and intellectually satisfying. At first glance, a hard-boiled mystery, later revealed as interwoven ghost story, tale of betrayal, history of Japan's campaign in Manchuria, evil political ideals and the search for a lost cat. Easily one of the best novels I have ever read. Highly recommended!
