Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Ratings277
Average rating3.9
Weird book. It takes some time to really unfold, but much of the fun comes from that process.
This is only my second Murakami experience (Strange Library being the first, so a toe in the pond really). I loved this, racing home to get back to it each day. I look forward to reading more. Today I walked onto the elevator and there was a paperclip on the floor. It takes a master for me to override my longstanding belief that a paperclip may be something more than a device to hold papers together.
This is quintessential Murakami – disarmingly profound, surrealistically realistic, a fantasy novel disguised as a detective thriller that ends up being a meditation on the nature of mind. It all just works with the deceptive simplicity that's the trademark of Murakami's genius. As always, his straightforward prose serves as a foil for the delightful weirdness of the story. If you've never read a Murakami novel before, this would be an excellent place to start. I'm going to be thinking (and maybe dreaming) about this story for weeks.
Murakami's particular brand of surrealism isn't exactly for me, but “Hard-Boiled Wonderland” came with the highest of recommendations and ended up as quite the compelling read. The book consists of two alternating stories, one taking place in then-modern Tokyo and the other occurring in a fantasy realm (complete with hand-drawn map) aptly titled the “End of the World.” Much of the book's force stems from the mystery of how these two seemingly-unrelated worlds are connected, and fortunately Murakami balances the contrasting stories with delicacy and ingenuity. By the end, some mysteries will be revealed, yet others won't–to say any more would be too revealing. At the very least, I can tell you that the book is more satisfying than the final season of Lost, with which “Hard-Boiled Wonderland” shares many similarities. Murakami's creativity is in full display here, as flourishes of golden unicorns, sewer-dwelling monsters and sentient shadows intrigue the reader without venturing into childish overbearance. Along the way, Murakami explores topics that continue to boggle the human imagination, such as sound modification, sonic warfare, unbreakable encryption, and the infinite complexities of the human subconscious. Birnbaum's translation is beautiful, reflecting the wit and lyricism one would expect from Murakami. Unfortunately, I found the story to drag at times, and I'm not too fond of pop-culture references for their own sake. Put these issues aside, however, and “Hard-Boiled Wonderland” is a great read.
I was totally surprised by how the story and the book played out. The ending was great, but it was strange having Murakami's fantastical elements be explained by science and technology. (And made-up ones, in fact.) I like Murakami's work because the magical qualities are left for the viewers to interprete on their own, and this was a strange departure. Not bad, really. But it's not great either.
Reading this as hard SF didn't work, but I found it easy to transition into reading it as ... as what? As a what-if? As (ahem) a thought experiment? As philosophy? I'm still not sure how to interpret it, what to take from it, but I am sure that I really loved the experience of discovering this book and perhaps Murakami as well.
Beautiful imagery. Beautiful ideas. Disturbing recognition of our personal inertia; action and inaction; our role in an indifferent world.
Murakami's one of those types for which I actually take a lunch break just to get some reading in at the middle of the day, for which I complain about having to go out socially instead of staying at home to read, for which I get annoyed with how the athletic rigours of ultimate frisbee render me unable to read for long without falling asleep – even though the language is somewhat stilted, the characters are always flatter than I expect them to be, and the ending always leaves me 10% unfulfilled.
Rispetto a Dance Dance Dance e Norwegian Wood l'ho trovato un tantino noioso in certi tratti, stavo quasi per abbandonarlo verso metà, poi le ultime appassionanti 150 pagine mi hanno “sospinto” verso il finale, in realtà un tantino deludente. Per gli appassionati di Murakami è comunque un libro che va letto, per chi non lo conosce...bè consiglio di partire da altri suoi libri.
So far, this thing is darn good. Reminds me a bit of Jeannette Winterson, though slightly more plot-driven. I'm liking it even better than The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Sputnik Sweetheart.
Update: Ok, I finished it, and lent it to a friend alreay. I loved it. I'll likely read it again. Nice combination of sci-fi, fantasy, minimalist fiction and neuroscience (well, pop-neuroscience).