#Bookreview “colourless Tsukuru Tazaki” by #Murakami
I have been meaning to read a book by Haruki Murakami ever since “what I talk about when I talk about running” came out. I have yet to read that, but having read this novel, I intend to read everything he has written.
This book really is, as the Literary Review puts it “surprisingly painful and poignant”.
It is not a happy book, but it is deeply beautiful. There are some strong sexual descriptions at one point, and if that sort of thing puts you off, I wouldn’t read this book, but having said that, it isn’t gratuitous and is in context.
What I found especially powerful, is how well Murakami draws the reader into the world of Tazaki. It is like we have a little space in his heart and soul from which we can observe his life.
Particularly as a woman I was interested in the maleness of this book, it was a window into the way this man saw his life and himself, so familiar and yet so alien.
All in all, if you want a sunshine book, this isn’t it, but if you want to take a meaningful journey, to pilgrimage with colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and find your mind richer for it, this is the book for you.
Understanding Alice 