Coin Locker Babies

Right from the first paragraph, you know that you are in for a dark and dreary ride. A few pages in, you'll wonder why you're reading this. But a few chapters in, you'll marvel in sheer awe at Ryu Murakami's morbid writing style and plot devices - and how radically different they are, as compared to another Murakami you might know.
This rollercoaster ride follows the tale of two foster brothers, Kiku and Hashi - both abandoned at birth, and growing up warped as a result. Both find their lives extremely wanting, and as a result, find different ways to cope with the emotional baggage they lug around - one finds solace in singing, and one in DATURA - a mind-bending plot device that you have to read to believe.
This is the polarizing kind of masterpiece that you'll forever be in two minds of - in happiness that it exists, as a fine example of human creativity, and despair that a human mind managed to think up of the plot, the scenery and the characters. If alcohol were a book - this would be it. Always enjoyed in small doses, and difficult to return to once finished - because you don't want the hangover again.

Kiku und Hashi werden beide als Babies von ihren Muettern in Schliessfächern ausgesetzt. Die beiden Jungs schliessen eine enge Freundschaft im Waisenhaus und werden dann auch von einem Ehepaar adoptiert. Der bisexuelle Hashi macht sich auf die Suche nach dem Sound seiner ersten Lebensstunden und wird zum japanischen Popidol, woran er aber bald zerbricht. Kiku begeistert sich fuer Leichtathletik und das verbotene Gift Datura. Bei einer spektakulären Mutter-Sohn Zusammenfuehrung live im Fernsehen erschiesst er die Frau, die fuer Hashis Mutter gehalten wird, in Wirklichkeit aber seine ist. Zusammen mit seiner Model-Freundin Anemone gelingt Kiku es mithilfe des Giftes Wahnsinn und Mörderlust in Tokyo auszulösen.

Such a frustrating book. Probably about 100 pages too long.

Vacillates back and forth from brilliantly profound and hilariously surreal, to flat rambly nothingness frequently. In the first half I was convinced I had accidentally been putting off what would end up being the best book I'd ever read because of the leftover taste Murakami's mediocre Miso Soup left me with. But by the end I was just dragging myself over the finish line.

Really really disappointing.

Also maaaan Murakami seems to REALLY hate women. I remember thinking it in Miso Soup and Tokyo Decadence, but it is on FULL display here. Just unnecessarily hateful, and not in an interesting/satirical/transgressive way that feels like he's got something to say. But in that weird “hey fellow men, aren't women dumb and gross? Especially when they get older (read: over 20) but want to look younger (read: under 18)?” way that just feels meanspirited and disgusting.

But still. That first half is pretty incredible. There are some passages in this that are straight up all-timers. Just wish the diamonds were hidden in piles of dirt and not piles of shit :/