1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
“One shouldn’t ghostwrite in a world that has two moons”
Coming in at 1,100+ pages and technically 3-books-in-1, this was a beast to read. However, despite the fact that the story only centered around two major characters, it was extraordinarily well written and entertaining. This is one of those books where if you try to ask me what it’s about, I’d have a difficult time giving you an elevator pitch. It’s magical and full of romance, self-discovery, growth, and mysticism. It has spy elements, assassins, and gets a little meta.
Despite finishing this book in just a few weeks, I still couldn’t tell you exactly what it’s about. I’d be hard-pressed to say anything except “it’s fucking amazing, and I recommend you read it immediately.” The story itself was original, and by that, I mean, I doubt anyone reading this thought, “oh, I had a similar idea like this once…”
One of my gripes is that some of the things in the story aren’t fully explained, and the reader is left thinking, “So what about ____?” but in the end, it didn’t make a difference. 1Q84 feels like a dream that has us questioning reality. Some of the “strangeness” ends up not feeling that abstract or unreal relative to everything else that’s happening in the story.
I also think the story has a soul to it, which is impressive considering the overall sci-fi genre.
Overall, it’s a weird storyline, and it’s very subtle in the way that it slowly exposes the weirdness. 1Q84 never dragged on, but it persisted.
