5 Haruki Murakami books you wouldn't want to miss
Japanese author Haruki Murakami is widely known for his surreal works dealing with loss, loneliness, and boredom. Although his stories are based in Japan, people all over the world can relate to the topics with ease. No wonder his books have been translated into 50 languages! If you haven't chanced upon this incredible author, here are a few suggestions to get you started.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
You can experience reading Murakami at his creative best with this book. If you're new to Murakami, this is the novel you should begin with. A young and unemployed man searches for his wife's missing cat and then for her. As his searches intersect, he has several bizarre encounters. It also talks of marital complications and is intersected with numerous instances of good humor.
Men Without Women
This is a beautiful collection of short stories by Murakami. There are seven short stories in this book, through which the author executes his observation skills and creativity to bring forth the lives of men who find themselves alone. The stories center around men who have been separated from their women either by other men or by death.
Norwegian Wood
This book brought Murakami international fame. Told from the perspective of a man in his 30s, the story takes readers to his college days in Tokyo and his romance with two very different women. Set in the late 1960s, the story portrays Japanese students who are protesting against the established order. Through the perspective of his protagonists, Murakami portrays the student movement as hypocritical.
Kafka on the Shore
This is a thought-provoking novel with two simultaneous storylines. One story is of Kafka Tamura, a teenager on a quest to find his long-lost mother and sister. The other tells the tales of Nakata, an old man who finds and returns lost cats to their owners. A book filled with surreal riddles, Murakami's signature, is a great read as you unravel everything slowly.
Wild Sheep Chase
Murakami uses elements of American and English literature with Japanese contexts and explores the post-WWII era in Japan. This is the third book in Murakami's The Rat Trilogy, which is about the surreal adventures of an unnamed narrator and his friend, "The Rat." The protagonist is on a journey to find a special sheep with a star birthmark. Check out more such book recommendations.
