1Q84 (Vintage International)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A tremendous accomplishment. It does every last blessed thing a masterpiece is supposed to—and a few things we never even knew to expect.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Brilliant . . . an irresistibly engaging literary fantasy.”—The Washington Post
A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is a striking feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
“Brilliant . . . an irresistibly engaging literary fantasy.”—The Washington Post
A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is a striking feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
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Community Reviews
I'm not sure where to begin with this review. HUGE disappointment. And that's an understatement. The biggest mystery is how/why I actually read all 925 painful pages.
The story is set in 1984 (but yet sometimes in 1Q84 - not even worth explaining) in Tokyo. I guess the backdrop to it all is that, 20 years earlier, at 10 years old, Tengo and Aomame were schoolmates and they fell in love without ever actually speaking to each other. And circumstances beyond their control separate them soon after and they haven't seen each other since, but they haven't stopped thinking about each other in all these years. OK, I can get on board with that. I'm a hopeless romantic. "If you can love someone with your whole heart, even one person, then there's salvation in life. Even if you can't get together with that person."
In their adult lives, Tengo is an aspiring writer who also teaches math at a local "cram" school; Aomame (the translation of her name is "green peas" - cute, isn't it?) is a trainer at a sports club, but she also has a side job as an assassin for "the Dowager," a rich older woman who dispatches Aomame to kill only those who deserve it - men who have abused women in some way. The Dowager also runs a safe house for battered women.
There's also a fantastical story going on here, about a religious cult. One of its young members, Eriko Fukada ("Fuka-Eri"), escaped at 10 years old and has been living with a family friend ever since. She's now 17 and has written an amazing story, one that was edited and rewritten (unbeknownst to the public) by Tengo, and it becomes a huge bestseller. It's all about Little People, who jump out of a dead goat's mouth, and they say "Ho-ho" a lot, and apparently they wield a lot of power. But is this just a story or is she recounting what really happened back at that cult?? The plot thickens...
So I don't know if things get "Lost in Translation," but the dialogue/narration is ludicrous. OK, Fuka-Eri is supposed to speak in a stilted, monotone fashion, asking questions with no question marks, but everyone else has these completely ridiculous, nonrealistic conversations, and it was really frustrating to read through that nonsense, especially from an author who is so highly regarded.
Then there is the gratuitous sex and pedophilia. Listen, I'm no prude, but the characters' obsession with sex was also bordering on ludicrous. And their fascination with their own bodies and sexual organs.
THEN there is the needless repetition and the author's insistence on pounding us all over the head with explanations:
"I'm a Perceiver, and you're a Receiver."
"In other words, you 'perceive' things and I 'receive' them?"
Duh, ok.
SPOILER ALERT: In 1Q84 (but not 1984), there are two moons in the sky! And the people who see the two moons get REALLY freaked out about this. Each one notices the two moons, then we get to read for 15 pages about how they're getting totally freaked out about the TWO MOONS! Then the next character discovers that there are TWO MOONS in the sky!! 15 more pages about them freaking out. What's the significance of the two $#%*& moons in the sky??? Who the *&$% knows!!! (And, frankly, who cares)
Also, there's another character, Ushikawa, who works for the religious group as a sort of spy. He's apparently not very attractive. He has a misshapen head and short bandy legs. We get this description of him at least 20 times. I'm not exaggerating. Maybe because the book is 925 freaking pages, the author thinks we might have forgotten Ushikawa and his misshapen head. If only we could be so lucky...
I think I held on because, as I said above, I'm a sucker for a cheesy love story, and I just wanted these crazy kids to get together. But admittedly, through all the glop, I got sucked into the other story line as well and wanted to see what would happen. Big fizzle. (Remember how we all got sucked into the TV show "Lost" and then the big finale - What the what??? Like that, except with bad dialogue) Characters and plot lines are introduced, only to disappear in one way or another without any real explanation or resolution.
And to sum up my point about ludicrous dialogue/narration and obsession with sex and body parts, here is Aomame's thought process toward the end of the book. Oh, another spoiler alert. She has some friends who died in the past. Not really a spoiler. OK, here's the quote:
"Aomame mourned the deaths of these two friends deeply. It saddened her to think that these women were forever gone from the world. And she mourned their lovely breasts - breasts that had vanished without a trace."
Yes, I think we can all agree, when we're reflecting on the loss of our loved ones, we bemoan the loss of their breasts, and their penises - not to mention those great asses - that we'll never ever see again, that have, in a word, VANISHED!
Sweet love story, though.
The story is set in 1984 (but yet sometimes in 1Q84 - not even worth explaining) in Tokyo. I guess the backdrop to it all is that, 20 years earlier, at 10 years old, Tengo and Aomame were schoolmates and they fell in love without ever actually speaking to each other. And circumstances beyond their control separate them soon after and they haven't seen each other since, but they haven't stopped thinking about each other in all these years. OK, I can get on board with that. I'm a hopeless romantic. "If you can love someone with your whole heart, even one person, then there's salvation in life. Even if you can't get together with that person."
In their adult lives, Tengo is an aspiring writer who also teaches math at a local "cram" school; Aomame (the translation of her name is "green peas" - cute, isn't it?) is a trainer at a sports club, but she also has a side job as an assassin for "the Dowager," a rich older woman who dispatches Aomame to kill only those who deserve it - men who have abused women in some way. The Dowager also runs a safe house for battered women.
There's also a fantastical story going on here, about a religious cult. One of its young members, Eriko Fukada ("Fuka-Eri"), escaped at 10 years old and has been living with a family friend ever since. She's now 17 and has written an amazing story, one that was edited and rewritten (unbeknownst to the public) by Tengo, and it becomes a huge bestseller. It's all about Little People, who jump out of a dead goat's mouth, and they say "Ho-ho" a lot, and apparently they wield a lot of power. But is this just a story or is she recounting what really happened back at that cult?? The plot thickens...
So I don't know if things get "Lost in Translation," but the dialogue/narration is ludicrous. OK, Fuka-Eri is supposed to speak in a stilted, monotone fashion, asking questions with no question marks, but everyone else has these completely ridiculous, nonrealistic conversations, and it was really frustrating to read through that nonsense, especially from an author who is so highly regarded.
Then there is the gratuitous sex and pedophilia. Listen, I'm no prude, but the characters' obsession with sex was also bordering on ludicrous. And their fascination with their own bodies and sexual organs.
THEN there is the needless repetition and the author's insistence on pounding us all over the head with explanations:
"I'm a Perceiver, and you're a Receiver."
"In other words, you 'perceive' things and I 'receive' them?"
Duh, ok.
SPOILER ALERT: In 1Q84 (but not 1984), there are two moons in the sky! And the people who see the two moons get REALLY freaked out about this. Each one notices the two moons, then we get to read for 15 pages about how they're getting totally freaked out about the TWO MOONS! Then the next character discovers that there are TWO MOONS in the sky!! 15 more pages about them freaking out. What's the significance of the two $#%*& moons in the sky??? Who the *&$% knows!!! (And, frankly, who cares)
Also, there's another character, Ushikawa, who works for the religious group as a sort of spy. He's apparently not very attractive. He has a misshapen head and short bandy legs. We get this description of him at least 20 times. I'm not exaggerating. Maybe because the book is 925 freaking pages, the author thinks we might have forgotten Ushikawa and his misshapen head. If only we could be so lucky...
I think I held on because, as I said above, I'm a sucker for a cheesy love story, and I just wanted these crazy kids to get together. But admittedly, through all the glop, I got sucked into the other story line as well and wanted to see what would happen. Big fizzle. (Remember how we all got sucked into the TV show "Lost" and then the big finale - What the what??? Like that, except with bad dialogue) Characters and plot lines are introduced, only to disappear in one way or another without any real explanation or resolution.
And to sum up my point about ludicrous dialogue/narration and obsession with sex and body parts, here is Aomame's thought process toward the end of the book. Oh, another spoiler alert. She has some friends who died in the past. Not really a spoiler. OK, here's the quote:
"Aomame mourned the deaths of these two friends deeply. It saddened her to think that these women were forever gone from the world. And she mourned their lovely breasts - breasts that had vanished without a trace."
Yes, I think we can all agree, when we're reflecting on the loss of our loved ones, we bemoan the loss of their breasts, and their penises - not to mention those great asses - that we'll never ever see again, that have, in a word, VANISHED!
Sweet love story, though.
I really don't know if I am going to review this book just here and now.
This is my first of any Murakami works and though I did find it monotonous, repetitive at times, I ended up wanting more of what and how these principal characters were playing in my mind's eye.
What I do want to say, first of all, is that it made me want more... and I firmly feel I am going to read more, much more by the author. The ending of the book was a bit abrupt for me and certain plot references in the first half of the book seemed contrived and intentional as far as the lives of the characters double up... or the way these lives are introduced to the foreign reader. But there are a few things that must be given a mention in my view. In the end, you feel you have acquainted yourself with the character mentality thoroughly and it seems you know them, met them and started following up there lives somewhere. This is made possible for the expansive dimensional space Murakami chooses to exert over the reader.. It goes bit by bit and this presumably threefold space sort of sucks the reader into the world of 1Q84.
I found some of the literary references concise and well placed...
Apart from Aomame and Tengo, I could really feel Ushikawa develops into a full blood and bones character. His and Tamaru's interaction, for me, is one highlight of the book.
I feel like writing more on this book... just as I have stated that it makes me read more by Murakami. The possibility of story-telling manifests pretty crisply through this book, and though I don't find it a great book I'd say you cannot put down or ignore the parallel magical world witnessed so.
This is my first of any Murakami works and though I did find it monotonous, repetitive at times, I ended up wanting more of what and how these principal characters were playing in my mind's eye.
What I do want to say, first of all, is that it made me want more... and I firmly feel I am going to read more, much more by the author. The ending of the book was a bit abrupt for me and certain plot references in the first half of the book seemed contrived and intentional as far as the lives of the characters double up... or the way these lives are introduced to the foreign reader. But there are a few things that must be given a mention in my view. In the end, you feel you have acquainted yourself with the character mentality thoroughly and it seems you know them, met them and started following up there lives somewhere. This is made possible for the expansive dimensional space Murakami chooses to exert over the reader.. It goes bit by bit and this presumably threefold space sort of sucks the reader into the world of 1Q84.
I found some of the literary references concise and well placed...
Apart from Aomame and Tengo, I could really feel Ushikawa develops into a full blood and bones character. His and Tamaru's interaction, for me, is one highlight of the book.
I feel like writing more on this book... just as I have stated that it makes me read more by Murakami. The possibility of story-telling manifests pretty crisply through this book, and though I don't find it a great book I'd say you cannot put down or ignore the parallel magical world witnessed so.
If you know Murakami, you know this gets weird. I couldn't put it down and I make it a point to read it once a year it seems. Fantastic stuff.
âIf you canât understand it without an explanation, you canât understand it with an explanation.â â Tengoâs Father
I feel like that was Murakamiâs justification for his whole story, haha!
Okay I agree this book doesnât really âmake senseâ or have a clear meaning, but Iâm just going to rate it on how much I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it a lot.
I find that whenever I read Murakami, I have to take my time and savor it. Unlike some others, I didnât find that the book was ever boring or slow. It didnât feel like a âlong book.â I kept wanting to read ahead, and not just to find out what happens, but just to experience whatâs happening.
I think some people who disliked this book because it didnât explain enough are probably just experiencing cultural differences. I remember someone saying once that while American films are usually about a character going for a goal, encountering obstacles, and then achieving their goal, Japanese films often have a less clear cut plot. Think of My Neighbor Totoro for example. Nothing really happens, much is left unexplained, yet so many like that film. Why? I donât know, but I do too.
This review is really more for my future self than for others. If you want to know if you would like the book, just try reading it.
I feel like that was Murakamiâs justification for his whole story, haha!
Okay I agree this book doesnât really âmake senseâ or have a clear meaning, but Iâm just going to rate it on how much I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it a lot.
I find that whenever I read Murakami, I have to take my time and savor it. Unlike some others, I didnât find that the book was ever boring or slow. It didnât feel like a âlong book.â I kept wanting to read ahead, and not just to find out what happens, but just to experience whatâs happening.
I think some people who disliked this book because it didnât explain enough are probably just experiencing cultural differences. I remember someone saying once that while American films are usually about a character going for a goal, encountering obstacles, and then achieving their goal, Japanese films often have a less clear cut plot. Think of My Neighbor Totoro for example. Nothing really happens, much is left unexplained, yet so many like that film. Why? I donât know, but I do too.
This review is really more for my future self than for others. If you want to know if you would like the book, just try reading it.
Long! But totally worth it, really makes you rethink the term “slow burn”. Emotional and deep, take your time reading it.
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