After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

The Book in Three Sentences

I find Murakami’s short stories to be frustrating compared to his other, longer works. What makes his novels so wonderful is the slow development of each character and the many fantastical environments. Murakami makes the unbelievable appear believable through the careful construction of rules; you become invested in the story, little by little.

Notes

Personally I found “Thailand” to be the most compelling because I found the characters to be very relatable. While the story was romanticized and nostalgic at times, there were deeper lessons embedded into the narrative that made this a worthwhile read.

Favourite quotes

“You are a beautiful person, Doctor. Clearheaded. Strong. But you seem always to be dragging your heart along the ground. From now on, little by little, you must prepare yourself to face death. If you devote all of your future energy to living, you will not be able to die well. You must begin to shift gears, a little at a time. Living and dying are, in a sense, of equal value." (Nimit in "Thailand,” p86–87)

But still, to the day he died, he missed the town in Lapland where he was born. He used to tell me about it all the time. And yet, in spite of that, he never once went back to Norway in thirty-three years. Something must have happened there that kept him away. He was another person with a stone inside.” Nimit lifted his coffee cup and took a sip, then carefully set it in its saucer again without a sound. ("Thailand,” p89)