The story follows the life of Tsukuru Tazaki whose group of closely-knit high school friends suddenly alienate him and cut him off from their lives without any explanations.The five friends ,three boys and two girls have a color in their names:Red,Blue,White,Black except for Tsukuru.So he thinks of himself as colorless,with nothing to offer the rest of the group.He carries this rejection inside his soul for sixteen years until one day his girlfriend after sensing that he has unresolved issues asks him to visit them and clear things up.
My Views:These are purely my views and I know they count for nothing ,considering the millions of Murakami Fans out there.But this is my corner and here I write what I feel .
Everyone who reads Murakami knows what to expect.His books are disturbing.I however have some qualms with reading translations and always feel that perhaps the essence of a book is lost in translating it to another language.The feeling that the original might be worthier refuses to leave me and so I dont pick up these books.Of course Im speaking just generally,Im sure Philip Gabriel has done full justice in translating a book as complex as this one.
That aside,when I finished reading this book ,the first thought that came to my mind was that it was so very similar to Norwegian Wood by the same author which I had read a few years back.There were recurring themes in both like unexplained depression,suicidal feelings,death,graphic dreams and general weirdness(a recurring theme in all novels).It didnt manage to evoke the same numbness which Norwegian Wood did but maybe that was because I was anticipating what was to come.
There was this story about a man who claims he has a month to live because someone he meets randomly tells him that and also that he can avoid death only by meeting someone else who's willing to die in his place.Theres more.As compensation for his imminent death,he is invested with the gift of seeing peoples colors,which are halos around their head.You get the drift?
There are unexplained situations and loose ends.Tsukuru gets a little irritating when he keeps reiterating about his feelings of worthlessness and how he is the only one without a color and feels very empty.However once I got past the weirdness,this book did manage to enagage me and I did get a grasp at what he was trying to say at the end of it all.I could relate to Tsukuru feeling alienated because even I would feel that way if people close to me had just cut me off without giving any reasons.However the way he reacts to it was beyond me,but then people react differntly in the same circumstances.A person has a dark side which might reside in our subconscious,where we are free to enact our most perverse fantasies is what Murakami always suggests.Also a very important point stressed in this book was about self-worth and how low self-esteem can mar a person for life,sometimes we might go on in life presuming that other people dont value us and in reality it might be something totally different.'You can hide memories,but you cant erase the history that produced them',says Tsukuru,when the past continues to haunt him and makes him who he is today.This book talks about friendship,loneliness,feelings of self-worth and finding closure.
A lot was said which made sense but the manner in which it was said,sometimes didnt.What this book leaves you with is important.I thought a few things were a little out of sync but when its a Murakami you learn to expect that.
I know nobody but Murakami will attempt a novel as bold as this one and for that
I rate it a 3 out of 5 .
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