A little bit of Murakami

I dream. Sometimes I think that's the only right thing to do. To dream, to live in a world of dreams - just as Sumire said. But it doesn't last forever. Wakefulness always comes to take me back (Murakami, H., 1999, Sputnik Sweetheart).

Some of you might know who Haruki Murakami is. For others it might be the first time hearing his name. Murakami is a Japanese writer whose books have been bestsellers in Japan and translated into many languages. He has also received numerous awards.

I discovered him three years ago when a friend and a colleague recommended me to read two of his most famous books: Men without women (2014) and Norwegian Wood (1987). People who know me know that I prefer to read specific types of novel like romance, psychological and magical realism novels. Murakami genre can be categorised as surrealism and magical realism. He is very talented and, the way he writes and describes feelings and emotions is magical. His words sound as prose. He also teleports the readers to different periods and places in Japan which makes them immerse themselves in the Japanese atmosphere.

South of the Border, West of the Sun (1992) and Sputnik Sweetheart (1999) are also two other books that I really enjoyed reading. Both are love stories that leave the readers a bittersweet taste. However, some people don't like his portrayal of women as he usually includes female characters with complicated interior lives but, I think he just writes from emotion and experience which invokes different feelings in the readers. The books mentioned above are easy to read, they have around 200 pages and they hooked you from the first page. What inspired his stories? Murakami said in one of his interviews that he likes stories of "abnormal things happening to normal people" rather than stories of "abnormal things happening to abnormal people" or stories of "normal things happening to normal people". It's that simple.

I don't want to spoil the books for anyone so, if you are one of those people who like reading about love and loss and stories of abnormal things happening to normal people, Murakami's novels are the best option for you.

"Writing a story is like playing out your dreams while you are awake" (Murakami, H.)