Staff Pick
This certainly has to be one of Murakami's best. Amongst his other titles and his dreamlike reality of storytelling, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle manages to stand out so boldly and beautifully. The imagery it brings to mind is so vivid and powerful, instilling a great sense of dread, passion, or even spectacle at times. Compared to the other works of Murakami that I've read, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle has lived a longer, louder life inside my head after finishing it. Its essence demands introspection and attention. There is so much to dissect and break down within the plot threads and characters of this book. It's a delight to engage with. As always, I feel that Murakami displays an excellent presentation of the intersectionality of relationships, the subconscious, and the surreal. Recommended By Jun L., Powells.com
Known for his beautiful, haunting, lyrical, and — at times — funny surrealistic stylings, Haruki Murakami is one of the most beloved Japanese authors in the Western world. Although infused with the pop culture of the West, his writing remains at its core firmly rooted in Japan. And as modern as his style is, his work draws upon the country's past while delving deep into the Japanese psyche. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is pure Murakami — a vast, enchanting mystery filled with dreamlike surrealism. Considered by many to be his best work, the novel tackles themes as varied as the nature of consciousness, romantic disappointment, and the lingering wounds of World War II. Readers will eagerly want to unravel this intricate, multi-layered tale. Recommended By Jen C., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A "dreamlike and compelling” tour de force (Chicago Tribune)—an astonishingly imaginative detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets from Japan’s forgotten campaign in Manchuria during World War II.
Now with a new introduction by the author.
In a Tokyo suburb, a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife’s missing cat—and then for his wife as well—in a netherworld beneath the city’s placid surface. As these searches intersect, he encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists. Gripping, prophetic, and suffused with comedy and menace, this is one of Haruki Murakami’s most acclaimed and beloved novels.
Review
“Dreamlike and compelling.... Murakami is a genius.” —Chicago Tribune
“Mesmerizing.... Murakami’s most ambitious attempt yet to stuff all of modern Japan into a single fictional edifice.” —The Washington Post Book World
“A significant advance in Murakami’s art ... a bold and generous book.” —The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. The most recent of his many honors is the Yomiuri Literary Prize, whose previous recipients include Yukio Mishima, Kenzaburo Oe, and Kobo Abe. He is the author of the novels Dance, Dance, Dance; Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World; A Wild Sheep Chase; South of the Border, West of the Sun; and Sputnik Sweetheart; of The Elephant Vanishes, a collection of stories; and of Underground, a work of non-fiction. His work has been translated into 14 languages.