The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami

Again strange. I don't quite know how else to explain this. Murakami is a well known, well regarded Japanese author and most of his novels have been translated to english. I enjoyed this novel as it gives a little bit of insight into Japanese culture, much like Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor did for me. I feel like (and this is speaking from ignorance) Japanese culture has a certain respect for spirituality and belief in the supernatural. Along with this is a pretty matter of fact acceptance. There is not a lot of drama about the super in supernatural. Here Murakami presents Mr. Okada, a recently unemployed law clerk who has chosen to enjoy his unemployment while his wife Kumiko supported them. When their cat disappears, Okada and Kumiko consult with a local "shaman" to help them find the cat. Eventually, the missing cat turns into a missing wife and in the search, Okada becomes central in a "spirit world" (for lack of a better descriptor) struggle between Kumiko's family and his own interest in having his wife back. The language is not dramatic, but often plodding and methodical. There is a real sense of "this is the way life goes", bordering on (but not really) existentialism. I know individual people that have this life outlook, but when a culture embraces it, it feels foreign. This book is definitely worth the time.

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