I'm not a Murakami hater like a lot of people in online reading spaces. I fully acknowledge his flaws and occasionally find a lot of his writing tics and habits annoying. Murakami is still one of my most-read authors because I found him at the right time when I was a disenchanted, lonely university student – maybe not my favourite author or one I'd consider among the best I've read but for pure comfort and a very specific kind of story, he scratches an itch very few others do.
With that being said, 1Q84…Murakami bro, what in the world? Someone really needs to tell this guy no. 1Q84 is what happens when an author becomes too famous for his own good and ends up impervious to editing.
This book really feels like Murakami at his most Murakami, completely unfiltered and unedited, and it's not for the better. His inability to write female characters that are more than just a vessel for the male protagonist to live through is well-documented but it's at its worst here in 1Q84. All the female characters seem to exist only to be written into tedious, often creepy, cringeworthy sex scenes – even moreso than usual. Tengo is also a boring, paper-thin protagonist, again even more than usual when it comes to the blank canvas male MCs Murakami typically creates. Tough subjects like rape and sexual abuse of minors are treated with an indifferent casualness
And I really don't think this book justifies its length, not even close. Just page after page of repetition and meandering. This is why I keep harping on about this book being a reflection of Murakami's worst excesses – his books have always been about vibes and atmosphere. That's kind of their thing. But in 1Q84 it veers into tedium and boredom. The juice is just not worth the squeeze. Yes, there are 2 moons, I get it! No, we don't need any more pages of descriptions of tits and dicks, Haruki, thank you.
That sense of surreal dreaminess and atmosphere he does so well is still present here. Everything else is just a big bust for me.
by keepfighting90