I started reading Murakami and was blown away by what I read for him. I started with 1Q84 and then Kafka on the shore. Loved both of them, although I could see some pitfalls in his writing. Thought he was my next favorite writer. But I started The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, and I think I was mistaken. Started to get bored of his style, and couldnt find the magical realism I found in his other two books. I know he has great following and readers from all the globe swear by his style .. but was I just easily influenced initially, or is there something good still to come out his other books?
P.S. i’m two chapters away from finishing book 1.
by StandardNo1765
6 Comments
The same thing happened to me. I read three of his books and picked up two others and had trouble sticking with them. I just thought the issue was that I should have taken a longer break in-between his books not necessarily that the magic is gone.
I also think this happens with almost any author whose work I dive head head first into. I start to see too many reoccurring themes, character motifs, and plot devices and it feels like rereading the same book in a way.
> true influencer or fake prophet?
Why does it have to be a binary all or nothing? Rarely is any author consistent across their entire career.
I’ve only read 1Q84, but I loved it. I think I have Kafka On the Shore, but I got side tracked by a book I’d been waiting for to come out.
> true influencer or fake prophet?
Someone else has already taken you to task for this, I know, but I think both ‘influencer’ and ‘prophet’ are two of the absolute last things Murakami ever set out to be.
He’s fine, though, if a little uneven. For an author who’s achieved enormous global success he’s rather quirky, willing to take risks and play around with narrative and character conventions, and I think that’s pretty cool. At his worst I think his novels are a bit dull, at his best very readable and very thought-provoking. Incidentally, I think *The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle* is his best novel by a clear margin, but obviously not everyone agrees.
Murakami is an author I love for his ability to create a very specific vibe, but his storytelling is very limited in some ways that become more obvious the more of his work you read. I’ve found that reading more than one or two of his books in close proximity I get tired of his style. Instead I grab one of his books every couple years when I’m in the right mood. Wait a little while and come back in a year or two and you might find it works a little better for you. Or you might just have had your fill of Murakami.
I think use of the word “influencer” in its common context is ugly enough. Let’s not let it bleed into other areas of life.