The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

The wind-up bird chronicle is a fascinating book. An oneiric tale full of surreal elements mixed with real-world stories of a rather heavy nature. To me it somehow was like a mix of David Lynch movies with magical realism of Marquez all bathed in Teriyaki sauce. Besides the main story line we get involved in the story of Lieutenant Mamiya from the time of WWII. This was truly a gem for me, especially that I did not know anything about the events in and around Mongolian territory from that time. It surely is a grave and sad story, but also a great study on human nature.

As a whole I see the book more as a parable of human life. A single person lost between forces which move him around the world without any consent. The paradox of life in society, but being isolated from it in the same time. The, sometimes, disastrous influence of traditions and social norms on one's life and well being (not in material sense).

Personally reading this book was a great adventure for me. Not only because of the aforementioned elements, but also because how much it was put in Japanese culture. It was my first true experience with Japanese literature and now I want to discover more of it :)