Books & Stories

1Q84

“1Q84” by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 5/5

1Q84 is a novel in which Haruki Murakami guides the reader through a multitude of emotions ranging from the delicately subtle to the outright heartwrenching. In what feels like a more refined and concise style of storytelling than some of his slightly more sporadic style work, Murakami continues to develop some of his trademark thought provoking and surreal concepts while maintaining a steady hold on realism and narrative focus, giving the reader a deeply involved experience. 1Q84 in itself manages to form a complete world filled with a handful of intricately sculpted characters and settings; the novel remains startlingly vivid on reflection both in day to day life alongside the reading process and also long after the final page has ceased to shine upon the retinas. A completely mammoth book that nestles comfortably into nearly 1000 pages, upon completion I could barely grasp the notion that the story had ended; whilst a work of fiction it felt like a part of the world had been shelved. An atmosphere of melancholy drifts beautifully through the pages, morphing gradually within the novel’s three parts as certain chapters reach intense emotional crescendos and while the words always remain tinged with a heartwarming sense of hope. Like other works of fiction by Haruki Murakami the scenarios presented in 1Q84 seem vaguely familiar, a sensation of nostalgia is presented that has a way of appealing to each reader to make it seem like the ocean of words is just for them. Reading this enthralling book, I was filled with a sense of constant deja vu and nostalgia for feelings and occurrences that I’m not even sure whether I’ve encountered, that yet feel as though they are entirely mine. An incredibly wonderful and immersive novel which I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend you go and read right now. - Andrew Jolly

(Source: booksandstories)