South of the Border, West of the Sun

by Haruki Murakami

Rating: 3 (3 votes)

Tags: Set in Japan Male author

South of the Border, West of the Sun

Description:
A moving, thoughtful story of long-lost love and second chances. Growing up in the suburbs in post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father's record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch. Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting, he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present. 'Casablanca remade Japanese style...It is dream-like writing, laden with scenes which have the radiance of a poem' The Times

Reviews:

Read Around The World Challenge user profile avatar for Wait
(5 months ago)
21 Jun, 2024
Not sure whether this was lost in translation (I read it in English) but I found this a very one dimensional, monotonous and climax-less story that might as well not have been told.

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Country: Japan flag Japan
Language: EN
Genre: Mystery

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