The Elephant Vanishes- Haruki Murakami
Yep, I read more Murakami. I know, it's such a surprise! I'm not usually a fan of short stories but, in my quest to read everything written by Murakami, I had to read this one. Having read a lot of his now, it's clear that all the Murakami clichés are there for a reason: The apathetic male narrator, the 80s, spaghetti cooking, jazz records...
This made the one story narrated by a woman all the more shocking, since every other one of his stories and novels seems to be narrated by the same man, only with a different name. Nevertheless, I connect to them (him?) and this does mean you can jump into any of his books without needing a complex overview of a brand new character.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeKFo4IiejnL9r9YZppSfkLOvMoNiILzf6hFf7avSN1-PwZZxoNqB-dRCZk4gw_M9sioVHSUZsppPF_UeeYduHSgizObbAVNwCk-nKrv5fMJDObPvV9nHxJ7XTS6ETaEZZQJFjXDFtvg/s640/Haruki-Murakami-Elephant-Vanishes-Extract.jpg)
As with any book of short stories, there are some that are more intriguing than others. I enjoyed The Dancing Dwarf and The Little Green Monster- both of which feature slightly threatening, intimidating characters. They seem to reveal the hidden insecurities within everybody's psyche.
Those stories that I didn't enjoy, which I won't name as I don't want to inflict my bias on anybody who might go on to read the book, are pretty bland and don't have anything about them that stands out: They just seem to be a list of Murakami clichés with nothing deeper or different about them.
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I'd recommend this book as an introduction to Murakami for anybody who wants to start reading his books. It works as a clear overview of his style and what to expect from his novels.
I've been having a lot of trouble getting back to reading again. I used to love to do it, but the quick, short-phrased world of internet had probably lessened my attention span, haha. I'm really interested in reading this now. I'm not usually a fan of short stories in a book but I think it'd be just what I need, and who doesn't love cooking spaghetti? Haha! :)
ReplyDelete- Jess
The Mod Mermaid
That's such a shame! I definitely think short stories are a good way of getting back into it.
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