Wind/Pinball: Two Novels
Ratings57
Average rating3.4
"Time goes by so damn fast."
As a small anecdote to tack on here for myself for later, I was reading my paperback copy of this book on my couch, and it's one of those duologies where you read half/one book and flip it over/around to read the other half/the other book. My husband walked past me perhaps two or three times before he finally asked if I was aware I was reading my book upside down.
These two are some of Murakami's earliest works, and it kind of shows. While the second book (Pinball, 1973) feels more like a cohesive book with some narrative direction, the first book (Hear the Wind Sing) just felt like scenes strung together until the book stopped having pages. Both feature the same two characters as main characters, Rat and our unnamed protagonist, just trying to make sense of the world in their early 20s, when things change, people move on, and they have to figure out what it means to be an adult. It's not quite angst these two are facing, but uncertainty about what to do with their lives beyond what they've always done (drink at J's bar, women, sit at the beach). Stagnation and moving on are common themes in Murakami's works, I've noticed. The second book has the only real magical realism here, and even that only comes in towards the last third of the book or so. It's not quite on par with some of his other books I enjoyed more, but I do like the idea of an advice-giving pinball machine.
I have the other books in this series at home, and I'm interested to see how more developed they are, since they're more full-fledged novels than these two were. Not bad books, but kind of forgettable.
"Time goes by so damn fast."
As a small anecdote to tack on here for myself for later, I was reading my paperback copy of this book on my couch, and it's one of those duologies where you read half/one book and flip it over/around to read the other half/the other book. My husband walked past me perhaps two or three times before he finally asked if I was aware I was reading my book upside down.
These two are some of Murakami's earliest works, and it kind of shows. While the second book (Pinball, 1973) feels more like a cohesive book with some narrative direction, the first book (Hear the Wind Sing) just felt like scenes strung together until the book stopped having pages. Both feature the same two characters as main characters, Rat and our unnamed protagonist, just trying to make sense of the world in their early 20s, when things change, people move on, and they have to figure out what it means to be an adult. It's not quite angst these two are facing, but uncertainty about what to do with their lives beyond what they've always done (drink at J's bar, women, sit at the beach). Stagnation and moving on are common themes in Murakami's works, I've noticed. The second book has the only real magical realism here, and even that only comes in towards the last third of the book or so. It's not quite on par with some of his other books I enjoyed more, but I do like the idea of an advice-giving pinball machine.
I have the other books in this series at home, and I'm interested to see how more developed they are, since they're more full-fledged novels than these two were. Not bad books, but kind of forgettable.
It isn't as good as wild sheep chase but it's still a great read. The second Murakami I finished after Norwegian wood. The magical realism stuff isn't there yet, it's a straight forward book.
It isn't as good as wild sheep chase but it's still a great read. The second Murakami I finished after Norwegian wood. The magical realism stuff isn't there yet, it's a straight forward book.
