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16.5 16.5 16.5ZM7.5 10C6.39543 10 5.5 10.8954 5.5 12C5.5 13.1046 6.39543 14 7.5 14C8.60457 14 9.5 13.1046 9.5 12C9.5 10.8954 8.60457 10 7.5 10ZM16.5 3.5C15.3954 3.5 14.5 4.39543 14.5 5.5C14.5 6.60457 15.3954 7.5 16.5 7.5C17.6046 7.5 18.5 6.60457 18.5 5.5C18.5 4.39543 17.6046 3.5 16.5 3.5Z"></path></svg></i></span></button></div></div></div><div class="BookPage__mainContent"><div class="BookPageTitleSection"><div class="BookPageTitleSection__title"><h1 class="Text Text__title1" data-testid="bookTitle" aria-label="Book title: The City and Its Uncertain Walls">The City and Its Uncertain Walls</h1></div><div class="BookPageTitleSection__share"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--transparent Button--medium Button--rounded" aria-label="Share"><span class="Button__labelItem"><i class="Icon ShareIcon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M16.5 2C18.433 2 20 3.567 20 5.5C20 7.433 18.433 9 16.5 9C15.6752 9 14.917 8.71467 14.3187 8.23733L10.6119 10.3965C10.8599 10.8769 11 11.4221 11 12C11 12.619 10.8393 13.2006 10.5573 13.7051L14.2507 15.8184C14.859 15.3076 15.6436 15 16.5 15C18.433 15 20 16.567 20 18.5C20 20.433 18.433 22 16.5 22C14.567 22 13 20.433 13 18.5C13 17.9703 13.1177 17.4681 13.3283 17.0181L9.62754 14.901C9.59678 14.8834 9.56774 14.8639 9.54048 14.8429C8.9661 15.2568 8.26144 15.5 7.5 15.5C5.567 15.5 4 13.933 4 12C4 10.067 5.567 8.5 7.5 8.5C8.30519 8.5 9.04687 8.77189 9.63824 9.22888L13.364 7.056C13.131 6.58729 13 6.05895 13 5.5C13 3.567 14.567 2 16.5 2ZM16.5 16.5C15.3954 16.5 14.5 17.3954 14.5 18.5C14.5 19.6046 15.3954 20.5 16.5 20.5C17.6046 20.5 18.5 19.6046 18.5 18.5C18.5 17.3954 17.6046 16.5 16.5 16.5ZM7.5 10C6.39543 10 5.5 10.8954 5.5 12C5.5 13.1046 6.39543 14 7.5 14C8.60457 14 9.5 13.1046 9.5 12C9.5 10.8954 8.60457 10 7.5 10ZM16.5 3.5C15.3954 3.5 14.5 4.39543 14.5 5.5C14.5 6.60457 15.3954 7.5 16.5 7.5C17.6046 7.5 18.5 6.60457 18.5 5.5C18.5 4.39543 17.6046 3.5 16.5 3.5Z"></path></svg></i></span></button></div></div></div><div class="BookPageMetadataSection"><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__contributor"><h3 class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular" aria-label="List of contributors"><div class="ContributorLinksList"><span tabindex="-1"><a class="ContributorLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3354.Haruki_Murakami"><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name">Haruki Murakami</span></a><span tabindex="-1">, </span><a class="ContributorLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/403782.Philip_Gabriel"><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name">Philip Gabriel</span><span data-testid="role" class="ContributorLink__role"> (Translator)</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></div></h3></div><div class="BookPageMetadataSection__ratingStats"><a class="RatingStatistics RatingStatistics__interactive RatingStatistics__centerAlign" href="#CommunityReviews"><div class="RatingStatistics__column" aria-label="Average rating of 3.83 stars." role="figure"><span 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class="RatingStar__backgroundFill--selectable"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill--selectable"></path></svg></button></span><div class="BookRatingStars__message"><span class="Text">Rate this book</span></div></div></div></div><div data-testid="description" class="BookPageMetadataSection__description"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><div class="DetailsLayoutRightParagraph"><div class="DetailsLayoutRightParagraph__widthConstrained"><span class="Formatted"><b>From the bestselling author of <i>Norwegian Wood</i> and <i>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</i> comes a love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, and a parable for our peculiar times.</b><br /><br />We begin with a nameless young couple: a boy and a girl, teenagers in love. One day, she disappears . . . and her absence haunts him for the rest of his life.<br /><br />Thus begins a search for this lost love that takes the man into middle age and on a journey between the real world and an other world—a mysterious, perhaps imaginary, walled town where unicorns roam, where a Gatekeeper determines who can enter and who must remain behind, and where shadows become untethered from their selves. Listening to his own dreams and premonitions, the man leaves his life in Tokyo behind and ventures to a small mountain town, where he becomes the head librarian, only to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding the gentleman who had the job before him. As the seasons pass and the man grows more uncertain about the porous boundaries between these two worlds, he meets a strange young boy who helps him to see what he’s been missing all along.<br /><br /><i>The City and Its Uncertain Walls</i> is a singular and towering achievement by one of modern literature’s most important writers.</span></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></div><div data-testid="genresList" class="BookPageMetadataSection__genres"><ul class="CollapsableList" aria-label="Top genres for this book"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genrePlainText"><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued">Genres</span></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/fiction" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Fiction</span></a></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/fantasy" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Fantasy</span></a></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/magical-realism" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Magical Realism</span></a></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/japan" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Japan</span></a></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/japanese-literature" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Japanese Literature</span></a></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/contemporary" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Contemporary</span></a></span><span class="BookPageMetadataSection__genreButton"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/genres/literary-fiction" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">Literary Fiction</span></a></span></span><span tabindex="-1"></span> <div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium" aria-label="Show all items in the list"><span class="Button__labelItem">...more</span></button></div></ul></div><div class="BookDetails"><div class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><div class="FeaturedDetails"><p data-testid="pagesFormat">464 pages, Hardcover</p><p data-testid="publicationInfo">First published April 13, 2023</p></div></span></span><span tabindex="-1"></span> <div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Book details and editions"><span class="Button__labelItem">Book details & editions</span><span class="Button__labelItem"><i class="Icon ChevronIcon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M8.70710678,9.27397892 C8.31658249,8.90867369 7.68341751,8.90867369 7.29289322,9.27397892 C6.90236893,9.63928415 6.90236893,10.2315609 7.29289322,10.5968662 L12,15 L16.7071068,10.5968662 C17.0976311,10.2315609 17.0976311,9.63928415 16.7071068,9.27397892 C16.3165825,8.90867369 15.6834175,8.90867369 15.2928932,9.27397892 L12,12.3542255 L8.70710678,9.27397892 Z" transform="rotate(0 12 12)"></path></svg></i></span></button></div></div></div><hr class="Divider Divider--largeMargin" role="presentation"/><div class="SocialSignalsSection"><div class="SocialSignalsSection__container"><div class="SocialSignalsSection__signal"><div class="SocialSignalsSection__loading"><svg role="img" aria-label="Loading interface..." viewBox="0 0 263 46" preserveAspectRatio="none"><title>Loading interface...</title><rect x="0" y="0" width="400" height="130" clip-path="url(#SocialSignalsSection-idClip)" style="fill:url(#SocialSignalsSection-idGradient)"></rect><defs><clipPath id="SocialSignalsSection-idClip"><circle cx="25" cy="23" r="23"></circle><rect x="64" y="16" rx="4" ry="4" width="199" height="16"></rect></clipPath><linearGradient id="SocialSignalsSection-idGradient"><stop offset="0%" stop-color="#EBEBEB" stop-opacity="1"><animate attributeName="offset" values="-2; 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His work has been described as <i>'easily accessible, yet profoundly complex'</i>. He can be located on Facebook at: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/harukimurakamiauthor">https://www.facebook.com/harukimuraka...</a><br /><br />Since childhood, Murakami has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western music and literature. He grew up reading a range of works by American writers, such as Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan, and he is often distinguished from other Japanese writers by his Western influences.<br /><br />Murakami studied drama at Waseda University in Tokyo, where he met his wife, Yoko. His first job was at a record store, which is where one of his main characters, Toru Watanabe in <i>Norwegian Wood</i>, works. Shortly before finishing his studies, Murakami opened the coffeehouse <i>'Peter Cat'</i> which was a jazz bar in the evening in Kokubunji, Tokyo with his wife.<br /><br />Many of his novels have themes and titles that invoke classical music, such as the three books making up <i>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</i>: <i>The Thieving Magpie</i> (after Rossini's opera), <i>Bird as Prophet</i> (after a piano piece by Robert Schumann usually known in English as <i>The Prophet Bird</i>), and <i>The Bird-Catcher</i> (a character in Mozart's opera <i>The Magic Flute</i>). Some of his novels take their titles from songs: <i>Dance, Dance, Dance</i> (after The Dells' song, although it is widely thought it was titled after the <i>Beach Boys</i> tune), <i>Norwegian Wood</i> (after The Beatles' song) and <i>South of the Border, West of the Sun</i> (the first part being the title of a song by Nat King Cole).<br /></span></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div><hr class="Divider Divider--largeMargin" role="presentation"/></div></div></div><div class="BookPage__relatedTopContent"><div class="lazyload-wrapper "><div style="height:500px" class="lazyload-placeholder"></div></div></div><div class="BookPage__reviewsSection"><div id="ReviewsSection" class="ReviewsSection"><div class="ReviewsSection__header"><h2 class="Text Text__title2">Ratings <span class="Text Text__italic">&</span> Reviews</h2></div><article class="WriteReviewCTA"><div class="Avatar Avatar--medium Avatar--placeholder" tabindex="0"><span data-testid="other" class="Avatar__image"><i class="Icon 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src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1713573726i/6431467._UX200_CR0,26,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6431467-s-penkevich">s.penkevich</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>1,371 reviews</span><span><span>11.3k followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 4 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars RatingStars__small"><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 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9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></clipPath><path id="path_RatingStar_undefined0small" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined0small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined0small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6319776088">December 3, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">‘<i>In the world outside the wall, you loved my shadow.</i>’<br><br>To enter the space of a Haruki Murakami novel is to pass into a realm adjacent to our own, one teeming with possibility as the familiar and unfamiliar commingle in an ephemeral elegance. ‘<i>I no longer possessed a set standard with which to determine what was real,</i>’ the nameless narrator of Murakami’s <i>The City and It’s Uncertain Walls</i> considers because, eventually, the distinctions between the familiar and unfamiliar, or between reality and unreality, aren’t just blurred together as much as such differentiation becomes beside the point. It is this vague realm full of wonderment and whimsicality that serves as a catalyst for introspective investigations, coupled with his soothing narrative voice and infectious imagination, that I find utterly irresistible and am frequently returning to his stories as a source of comfort and awe. <i>The City and It’s Uncertain Walls</i> is a story about such realms separated by—you guessed it!—an uncertain wall of sorts, made up of many stories within and all housed together between the covers not unlike the way the two libraries central to the novel are home to a vast collection of stories themselves, one stocked with books, the other with dreams. <br><br>These stories continually inform each other from opposite sides of the veil where ‘<i>everything is overwritten, renewed,</i>’ not unlike the existence of this book itself. While it is his latest work, published in Japan in 2023 as 街とその不確かな壁 and released in an English translation by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/403782.Philip_Gabriel" title="Philip Gabriel" rel="noopener">Philip Gabriel</a> in 2024, <i>The City and It’s Uncertain Walls</i> originated as an early, novella length story printed in the literary magazine <i>Bungakukai</i> in 1980 but never published in book form. It formed the basis of <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/27216148.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World" title="Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</a> and was rewritten and significantly expanded during the social separations of the COVID-19 pandemic (which informs many thematic elements here) to create a novel contrasting the world inside and outside the walls and a present haunted by the past for both the narrator and the author. While the novel as a whole doesn’t quite hold up to its impressive first part and some of the fairly problematic aspects of Murakami’s works are still present, it is still a delight to pass through. A fantastical and fascinating page-turner of a quiet novel with a deep love for libraries at its heart, <i>The City and It’s Uncertain Walls</i> is a story of love and loss, a story of the self and our shadows, a ghost story, a story of our endless search for meaning amidst chaos and confusion and a story about the stories we tell to better understand our own story. <br><br>‘<i>Is this world inside the high brick wall? Or outside it?</i>’<br><br>Late in the novel, the proprietor of the coffee shop frequented by our narrator observes while reading <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/9712.Love_in_the_Time_of_Cholera" title="Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez" rel="noopener">Love in the Time of Cholera</a> by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/13450.Gabriel_Garc_a_M_rquez" title="Gabriel García Márquez" rel="noopener">Gabriel García Márquez</a> that his method of incorporating magical elements ‘<i>might fit the critical criteria of magical realism, for García Márquez himself it’s just ordinary realism. In the world he inhabits the real and the unreal coexist.</i>’ While the narrator processes this discussion in context of his own ineffable disorientation where ‘<i>the real and the unreal coexist,</i>’ it can also be interpreted as Murakami offering a comparative explanation to how ‘<i>the real and the unreal are equivalent</i>’ in his own work. ‘<i>I was starting to have a hard time judging what was weird and what was not,</i>’ the narrator tells us but once the boundaries between the two have dissolved, the opportunity for deeper insights on the self, the human condition or even reality itself arises ‘<i>like the dawn arriving and sunshine streaming through the window.</i>’ As Murakami writes in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/17801.Underground_The_Tokyo_Gas_Attack_and_the_Japanese_Psyche" title="Underground The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche</a>, ‘<i>reality is created out of confusion and contradiction, and if you exclude those elements, you’re no longer talking about reality</i>’ and so we find in his works that life tends to reveal itself best through these abstract angles. Though confusion certainly abounds here as well with two frames of reality colliding amidst disappearing first loves, a library of dreams, a city population stripped of their shadows, and a host of ghosts that all send us spiraling through the narrative. <br><br>‘<i>Truth is not found in fixed stillness, but in ceaseless change and movement. Isn’t this the quintessential core of what stories are all about?</i>’<br><br>There are a multitude of plot threads woven together here and while some are tightly knotted—such as the past and present in part one—others drift away into irresolution. I find the latter to be some of his most charming elements and little asides such as the story of the nightly visits from a ghost who only reveals one side of her face to a wounded soldier tend to be amongst his most memorable bits in his novels that still function as thematic texture despite the lack of conclusive story. In the book <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/49832232.Who_We_re_Reading_When_We_re_Reading_Murakami" title="Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami by David Karashima" rel="noopener">Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami</a>, an early interview finds Murakami troubled by the hefty edits of his early works, sometimes a full hundred pages being cut as is the case in <i>Hard-Boiled Wonderland</i> (an <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/798153/end-of-the-world-and-hard-boiled-wonderland-by-haruki-murakami-translated-by-jay-rubin/" rel="nofollow noopener">unabridged retranslation</a> from <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/7306.Jay_Rubin" title="Jay Rubin" rel="noopener">Jay Rubin</a> will be published in a few weeks), expressing a sadness that he feels Western audiences tend to require resolution in order to value a plotline instead of seeing them as thematic notes in a larger orchestration. This is key as Murakami claims his writing style and structure was something he ‘<i>learned from music.</i>’ In his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/books/review/Murakami-t.html" rel="nofollow noopener">2007 essay <i>Jazz Messenger</i></a> (translated by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/7306.Jay_Rubin" title="Jay Rubin" rel="noopener">Jay Rubin</a>) he says that his writing tends to be based in the ideas of the ‘<i>free improvisation</i>’ he finds in jazz music:<br><blockquote>‘<i>I never plan. I never know what the next page is going to be. Many people don't believe me. But that's the fun of writing a novel or a story, because I don't know what's going to happen next. I'm searching for melody after melody.</i>’</blockquote><br>Some readers may find this cumbersome or aimless but, as the mysterious stranger in the story <i>Cream</i> from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3844526215" rel="nofollow noopener">First Person Singular</a> explains while detailing an impossible object, ‘<i>there’s no need to know what it’s all about</i>’ and Murakami’s work is about abstraction and emotion, not one-to-one metaphors and tidy explanations. But despite the abstract nature and his storytelling tending towards the surreal, his prose is often rather succinct, simple and direct in a way that makes it effortlessly engaging. Midway through <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i>, the narrator describes his spring coat in a way that reminds me of his prose: ‘<i>a worn-out coat someone had probably worn for years but, oddly enough, fit like a bespoke jacket.</i>’ Its basic and well trodden, especially at this point in his career, but bears an ineffable magic that might not seem like much to an outsider but for those who love to be engulfed in his works it is incredibly comfortable and cozy. It is also a warm familiarity and I find that Murakami’s works are like jazz in the sense that they function as different variations on the same set of signature themes. In the novel’s afterword he writes:<br><blockquote>‘<i>As Jorge Luis Borges put it, there are basically a limited number of stories one writer can seriously relate in his lifetime. All we do—I think it’s fair to say—is take that limited palette of motifs, change the approach and methods as we go, and rewrite them in all sorts of ways.</i>’</blockquote><br>This seems pertinent for this novel especially since it is framed around a rewrite where <i>Hard-Boiled</i> ‘<i>was one response to the original story,</i>’ and this version was set about with the intent of ‘<i>creating a story that coexisted with [the original], so that the two complemented each other.</i>’ While admittedly part one (which seems to be the rewrite of the original story) is by far the strongest section of the novel—had he merely published part one as a stand-alone novella I’d be giving this 5 stars and proclaiming it as easily one of his best works—with the rest being engaging but as adrift on the whims of a narrative breeze as leaves swirling in autumnal gusts (not unlike the narrator, to be fair), I did find the juxtaposition of the recent bulk of the work with the tighter early section to be rather thematically successful in the sense that it contrasts the authorial Murakami of memory with the Murakami of the present. <br><br>‘<i>There isn’t just </i>one<i> reality. Reality is something you have to choose by yourself, out of several possible alternatives.</i>’<br><br>I think <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> is a novel that is best read allowing it to flow over and through you instead of trying to grasp a hold of it in order to shake out objective truths and concrete ideas from its pockets. It contains multitudes and those playing Murakami Bingo better get their chips ready because the representation is real with this one.<br><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/200883921@N03/54173916650/in/dateposted-public/" title="murakami_bingo" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1732981803i/36237711.jpg" width="392" height="400" alt="murakami_bingo" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br>And speaking of representation, I absolutely adored the focus on libraries in this book. While I didn’t love the idea of a privately owned library, I do understand why this was necessary for the plot to work and the tenderness for which Murakami addresses the function of libraries as necessary for a community was lovely.<br><blockquote>‘<i>To create a special, comfortable spot to gather lots of books, and to have many people freely read them—for Mr. Koyasu, that was the ideal world.</i>’</blockquote><br>The dualities of the rural library and the dream library within the walls, tethered into memory by the dual wood stoves in his offices, is the hinge holding the novel together and all the people in their orbits. We have Yellow Submarine Boy becoming the ‘<i>ultimate personal library,</i>’ through his endless reading of the narrator for whom the library gives a purpose after having been aloof and adrift since the disappearance of the girl he loves during his teenage years. His loneliness in her absence reminds me of part from <a href="https://www.nga.gov/stories/hanif-abdurraqib-mwangi-hutter.html" rel="nofollow noopener">the poem <i>Ours To Hold And Caress And Cherish</i></a> by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/21162145.Hanif_Abdurraquib" title="Hanif Abdurraquib" rel="noopener">Hanif Abdurraquib</a> about a ghost haunting his house that reads:<br><blockquote>‘<i>To believe in the reality of a single soulmate is to believe that every lonely life exists because someone didn’t travel towards someone else. A child dies somewhere and then, decades later, someone lives a series of unsatisfied days. Watches the game shows alone & goes to bed early, each day its own small apocalyptic orchestra of near-silence…it is like being held, in this way, by a lover from a world that has already ended. A different lover for every reflection in the room. And yet, when I wake, someone I loved once is still alive, somewhere else.</i>’</blockquote><br>The ghosts of the past propel the narrative here, as well as people who, like the girl, feel they are not truly living but the shadow of their real self who resides in the mysterious city behind the walls. ‘<i>My real self — the real me — is in a town far away, living a completely different life,</i>’ she tells him not long before she ‘<i>disappears. Literally, like smoke vanishing.</i>’ And so to this town he must finally go.<br><br>‘<i>I was so taken by you, I thought of nothing else when awake. You haunted my dreams, as well.</i>’<br><br>Much of the book concerns the aspect that unreality is just as real as reality—the pain from a dream might not be real but it hurts all the same—and gives us an understanding that emotions are the core of life. Even if not grounded in reality, they still inform upon our thoughts and actions. The titular city is a place where ‘<i>feelings are not just useless but harmful. Like </i>seeds<i> of an epidemic</i>’ as the narrator’s shadow (who must be removed in order for him to enter) theorizes. I really enjoyed how this place was a ‘<i>world of made-up stories and contradictions,</i>’ that was created by the stories of a 16 year old girl. It reminds me of the bonkers inner logic of the Ghibli film <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Returns" rel="nofollow noopener">The Cat Returns</a>, also a world that exists in the imagination of a teenage author. <br><br>But is it real? Does that even matter here? ‘<i>Consciousness is the brain’s self-awareness of its own physical state,</i>’ a character states and if you're aware of yourself in the context of this world, who is to say it isn’t real for you. Such realms can be a comfort for those who don’t fit in with the “real” world. Like in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/10357575.1Q84__1Q84___1_3_" title="1Q84 (1Q84, #1-3) by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">1Q84</a> when Aomame expresses ‘<i>Either I’m funny or the world’s funny. I don’t know which. The bottle and lid don’t fit,</i>’ sometimes you have to create a world in which you fit. Similarly, concrete explanations of the girl disappearing or possible health conditions are beside the point as it is the emotional resonance that tells the story (which, okay, not exactly great her life is relegated to being the emotional texture for the male narrator’s story). Either way, reality is secondary to the ennui driving the narrative.<br><br>‘<i>The you who lives here doesn’t dream, and doesn’t love anyone.</i>’<br><br>One can read a lot of dynamic metaphors in the city and its walls, such as the pandemic isolation conditions that led to the creation of the novel. Murakami confirms this in a recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/23/haruki-murakami-my-books-have-been-criticised-so-much-over-the-years-i-dont-pay-much-attention" rel="nofollow noopener">interview with <i>The Guardian</i></a>:<br><blockquote>’<i>The situation of the town surrounded by walls was also a metaphor of the worldwide lockdown. How is it possible for both extreme isolation and warm feelings of empathy to coexist?</i>’</blockquote><br>His works often probe the human consciousness in the wake of disaster (think <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/11299.After_the_Quake" title="After the Quake by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">After the Quake</a> or <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/17801.Underground_The_Tokyo_Gas_Attack_and_the_Japanese_Psyche" title="Underground The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Underground</a>) and so, too, we find many references to national tragedies. The library found in the Fukushima prefecture, the snow falling like ash, or the shadows left behind after death that recall the shadows after the atomic bomb. There is a lot of rather haunting, poignant imagery like the clock with no hands in the city without time. Mechanical clocks arrived in Japan during the Edo Period, marking a change from the previous <a href="https://www.jcwa.or.jp/en/etc/wadokei.html#:~:text=The%20temporal%20hour%20system%20was,times%20of%20the%20rat%2Fbull." rel="nofollow noopener">temporal system of time</a> and were often <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/234912333?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals" rel="nofollow noopener">used symbolically in the arts during this period</a> as a metaphor for the hidden intricacy of the human heart. This is certainly keeping with the novel’s themes. In her book <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/93258.Clock_Without_Hands" title="Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers" rel="noopener">Clock Without Hands</a>, <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/3506.Carson_McCullers" title="Carson McCullers" rel="noopener">Carson McCullers</a> describes a terminally ill character as ‘<i>a man watching a clock without hands,</i>’ symbolizing his lack of control but also, in the larger context of the story, a sense of uncertainty, change and the ‘<i>mysterious drama</i>’ of the human condition, not unlike here as well. ‘<i>How can the dead be truly dead when they are still walking in my heart?</i>’ a character asks, and here too we find that the memory of a person often makes them just as alive as their flesh and blood self. Or more alive, as is the case of the eternally 16 year old girl inside the walls.<br><br>‘<i>Something kept us apart—something impenetrable, something like, for instance, a high brick wall.</i>’<br><br>There are some less than flattering depictions in this novel—while it isn’t intended as trans representation, the discussions on a character wearing a skirt might raise some eyebrows even though its clear Murakami isn’t intending it as negative—and some of the late metaphors for the impenetrable wall are a bit odd. Murakami detractors will not be won over by this novel, but all in all it is still a fun and thought provoking ride. <br><br>'<i>A person’s consciousness is the same as a glacier…most of it is hidden, unseen, sunk in a dark place.</i>’<br><br>‘<i>Books and doors are the same thing,</i>’ wrote <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/9399.Jeanette_Winterson" title="Jeanette Winterson" rel="noopener">Jeanette Winterson</a>, ‘<i>you open them, and you go through into another world,</i>’ and to open a Murakami book is to open a unique door into a realm of thoughtful whimsicality. I had a blast with <i>The City and Its Uncertain Walls</i> and found it to read like the classic Murakami works that made me fall in love with his novels to begin with. An interesting look at how reality and unreality can coexist amidst a yearning tale of love and self-discovery, this was a wild ride from start to finish. Imperfect, yet perfectly lovable all the same.<br><br><b>3.5/5</b><br><br>‘<i>Like the crew of a sinking sailboat clinging to the mast, maybe we are only capable of clinging, desperately, to one reality. Whether we like it or not.<br>But how much do we know about the secret, dark labyrinth of a river that flows underneath us, below the solid ground we stand on? How many have actually seen it and, having seen it, could make it back to the other side?</i>’</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=fun" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">fun</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=ghosts" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">ghosts</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=library" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">library</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span> <div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium" aria-label="Show all items in the list"><span class="Button__labelItem">...more</span></button></div></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">343 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">55 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59050228-meike" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Meike." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1634545742i/59050228._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59050228-meike">Meike</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>1,824 reviews</span><span><span>4,208 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 4 out of 5" role="img" 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1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined0small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined0small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6145194134">January 19, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted"><b>English (currently being translated): "The City and Its Uncertain Walls"</b><br />Murakami just turned 75, and his new novel is a full-on firework of references to his literary legacy as well as to monoliths of international fiction by other authors. Based on a short story of the same title he wrote 40 years ago and that was published in a literary magazine, "The City..." is a counterpart to <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/10374.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World" title="Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</a>, the latter also already being inspired by aforementioned story. Murakami explains that he has always been bothered by the fact that he felt that the original 100-page-version didn't achieve the narrative's full potential, so his new work is his attempt to doing the source material justice. And oh boy, this is certainly the murakami-est Murakami book to ever grace the canon of Murakami (and if you enjoy playing the infamous Murakami motif bingo, you'll be delighted). <br /><br />Our unnamed protagonist is a 45-year-old, unmarried man who is still grieving his first love who, when they were 16 and 17 respectively, suddenly disappeared. Together, they had been imagining their own city behind a wall, and the girl had proclaimed that this is where her true self resides. Through magical circumstances, the now older protagonist actually makes it into this counter-world, where the (still 16-year-old) girl works in a library that archives dreams and cannot recognize him. He becomes a professional dream-reader, but then decides to help his shadow leave the counter-world: To overcome the wall, a person has to separate from their shadow and let it die behind the walls, which the protagonist cannot bring himself to do. Back in the other, real (?) world, lonely and sad, the protagonist takes a job in a remote village in Fukushima as a librarian, where a mysterious young savant and a ghostly old bookworm might help him cross the wall again...<br /><br />What the wall, the city, and the shadow stand for is the main concern of the text itself: Physical being and shadow as the separation of body and consciousness, but they might turn out to be inseparable and thus interchangeable (or alter ego variations of the self), the city as a manifestation of the subconscious, of wishes, of stories or even (hey, it's also a künstlerroman) literature becoming reality. And then the wall: It moves on its own accord, thus exercising the power to decide where one world starts or the other ends - or even proclaiming that it can't really be overcome, that there is no separation where we expect it to be.<br /><br />The core reference here is <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/13450.Gabriel_Garc_a_M_rquez" title="Gabriel García Márquez" rel="noopener">Gabriel García Márquez</a>: Murakami, the guy who is seen as the master of Japanese magical realism, ponders the power of this literary technique, and thus is own literary convictions, by declaring - and this is fascinating - that for Marquez, there is no separation between reality and the fantastical in his own surroundings, thus that he is more of a chronicler than a fiction writer. Much like McCarthy in his latest double feature <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/60526801.The_Passenger__The_Passenger___1_" title="The Passenger (The Passenger, #1) by Cormac McCarthy" rel="noopener">The Passenger</a> / <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/60526802.Stella_Maris__The_Passenger___2_" title="Stella Maris (The Passenger, #2) by Cormac McCarthy" rel="noopener">Stella Maris</a>, Murakami investigates whether our imagination, conscious and subconscious, isn't just as powerful and real as the world around us. The largest parts of the book hence take place in libraries recording human consciousness and subconsciousness, and the condition of the savant points to <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/500.Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Jorge Luis Borges" rel="noopener">Jorge Luis Borges</a>' <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/52766691.Funes__the_Memorious" title="Funes, the Memorious by Jorge Luis Borges" rel="noopener">Funes, the Memorious</a>.<br /><br />You can also go ahead and find all kinds of other novels by Murakami in this tome, from <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/11297.Norwegian_Wood" title="Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Norwegian Wood</a> over <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/4929.Kafka_on_the_Shore" title="Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Kafka on the Shore</a> to <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/41022133.Colorless_Tsukuru_Tazaki_and_His_Years_of_Pilgrimage" title="Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage</a>, you can reference <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/314999.Adelbert_von_Chamisso" title="Adelbert von Chamisso" rel="noopener">Adelbert von Chamisso</a> and all kinds of fairy tales. But the fun of this of course way too long, but wonderfully flowing, entertaining and mesmerizing novel is to track everything to the philosophical context that reflects questions of consciousness and imagination. Why is the counter-world more bleak than the real world? Why is the remote village in Fukushima? Why do unicorns die so humans don't have to? Does the writer Murakami actually live in a subconscious city behind a wall, and the guy we see is just his ghost? This book offers a story and ideas to discuss with other book enthusiasts. <br /> <br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/644381.Ursula_Gr_fe" title="Ursula Gräfe" rel="noopener">Ursula Gräfe</a>'s translation into German is as flawless as usual, and have linked our (much deeper) discussion on the podcast (feat. Ursula) here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://papierstaupodcast.de/allgemein/folge-290">https://papierstaupodcast.de/allgemei...</a></span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/59050228?shelf=japan" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">japan</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">249 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">34 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/167492150-taufiq-yves" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Taufiq Yves." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1726218326i/167492150._UY200_CR50,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/167492150-taufiq-yves">Taufiq Yves</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>227 reviews</span><span><span>48 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" 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2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">As a devoted fan of <b>Haruki Murakami</b>, I was incredibly excited when I heard about his new novel and immediately devoured <b>The City and Its Uncertain Walls.</b><br /><br />The setting is a small town where everyone lives a peaceful but monotonous life, as if everything were enclosed by an invisible wall. This wall is both a physical barrier and a mental constraint. Everyone’s life is similar, experiencing similar joys and sorrows, but beneath this calm exterior lies a deep sense of uncertainty.<br /><br />‘I’ is an ordinary young man who leads a bland existence in the town until one day, he accidentally discovers the mysterious wall. This wall seems to possess a certain magic, allowing people to see the deepest fears and desires of their hearts. He begins to wander before this wall, trying to peer into his own inner world.<br /><br />Later, ‘I’ gradually realizes that this wall is not simply a wall, but rather a representation of people's fear and avoidance of the unknown. In this town, people are afraid of change, afraid of uncertainty, and so they choose to escape, to confine themselves within the walls. However, this escape does not truly solve any problem but instead leads people to lose themselves even more.<br /><br />So ‘I’ begins to try to break down this wall. He bravely faces his fears and anxieties, striving to find his true self. In this process, he experiences various trials and tribulations, but he never gives up.<br /><br />Through this small town and the mysterious wall, <b>Murakami</b> reveals the complexity of human nature and the true meaning of life. He tells us that facing uncertainty is not scary; what is scary is that we choose to escape. Only by bravely facing our inner selves can we find our true selves.<br /><br /><b>Murakami</b>’s signature style shines through in this book. I could see echoes of his previous works everywhere: the town and the dream interpreter reminiscent of <b>Norwegian Wood</b>; the library and its stories reminiscent of <b>Kafka on the Shore</b>; the first love of a 16 or 17-year-old reminiscent of <b>South of the Border, West of the Sun</b>; but this time, instead of focusing on external conflicts like assassinating evil, he delves into the depths of his own psyche. Beyond the content, his writing style remains as captivating as ever, and I continue to be drawn to it.<br /><br />While reading, I felt as if I were watching an animated film. A young, inexperienced boy and girl, a complex town initially created as a figment of the imagination, and herds of unicorns with golden fleece - it was like a fantasy anime.<br /><br />Compared to his previous works, this one feels gentler. I see in it a sense of reconciliation between him and his older self.<br /><br /><i>”I took a deep breath and held it for a moment. In those few seconds, countless scenes flooded my mind. All the scenes. I cherished and protected all the scenes, including the scene of the vast ocean under a downpour. But I no longer hesitated. I had no doubts.”</i><br /><br />I particularly love the ending. I want to interpret it from a perspective that transcends fiction itself. From a certain angle, it can be seen as <b>Murakami</b>’s farewell, as both a writer and an individual, to his writing career and to life itself (though he's not yet at the end of his life).<br /><br />When he takes that deep breath, the images that appear in his mind might be a reenactment of his decades - long writing career, or perhaps a reflection of the 70 or 80 years he's lived. Among them are things he cherishes and protects.<br /><br /><i>”Believe that your alter ego exists. He will catch you.”</i><br /><br />The 'alter ego' mentioned in the dialogue could refer to his successors, new writers, perhaps newcomers to literary creation, or even new generations of humanity. In the last possible decade or 2 of his life, <b>Murakami</b> expresses hope for the future. He believes that after he leaves this world, his literature and other legacies will not disappear. Instead, they will inspire others to create their own works, and his passion, willpower, idealism, imagination, and various emotions will be passed on.<br /><br /><i>”Darkness fell. It was an extremely deep and incredibly soft darkness.”</i><br /><br />The final darkness can be interpreted as his imagination of death. Here, death has lost its terrifying connotations. In a way, death also represents rebirth.<br /><br />The boy with extraordinary intelligence but no emotions, and 'I,' who is ordinary but has emotions, together form a kind of perfection, an ideal, just like the airtight walls of the town.<br /><br />The airtight town is our inner town; the ever - changing walls are also our inner walls. In fact, the walls are merely our inner fears. How do we overcome fear? <b>Murakami</b> provides an answer in this book - belief. The power of belief.<br /><br />Inside the walls and outside the walls, which is real and which is illusory? It's hard to tell. Which is the true 'I' and which is the shadow? I don't know. But what is certain is that the true 'I' and the shadow must become one. That is the complete 'I,' despite its imperfections. The shadow of the first love separated from the real person and disappeared without a trace, but 'I' can choose to find the other half that makes up 'I'—'I's' physical form or shadow. And how does 'I' find the other half of myself and become a complete 'I'? It is also through belief.<br /><br />I was reminded of a quote from conversations with Kafka: <i>”Believe in the rational inner connection of all things and all moments, believe that life as a whole will go on forever, believe in the nearest thing and the farthest thing.”</i><br /><br />This ending is a farewell, a reconciliation, a belief, a legacy, and a hope.<br /><br />In this novel, I read more of a sense of farewell. <b>Murakami</b> will definitely continue to write until he's too old, but given his age, how many more new books can we expect from him? But just like him, I'm not a pessimist. I believe in things, I believe in the warm sunshine of tomorrow, and I believe that what he has left to the world will become a seed, that it will survive the bitter cold of winter, and that in spring it will sprout and grow endlessly...<br /><br />As a longtime fan of Murakami, this book felt like a heartfelt farewell. While I'm sad to see this era of his writing come to a close, I'm grateful for the countless hours of joy and contemplation his works have brought me.<br /><br />Thank you so much, my friend.<br /><br />5 / 5 stars</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=chinese-translation" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">chinese-translation</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=fav-haruki-murakami" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">fav-haruki-murakami</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=japanese-lit" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">japanese-lit</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">242 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">66 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32879029-emma" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for emma." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1520568130i/32879029._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32879029-emma">emma</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>2,305 reviews</span><span><span>77k followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><b>Currently reading</b></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6655570199">November 30, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">i haven't read the synopsis of this but i'm going to guess a bumbling man descends into a fantasy version of our own world in which a scary sexy woman becomes obsessed with him<br /><br />(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=arc" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">arc</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=authors-of-color" class="Button 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26741582-john-mauro" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for John Mauro." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1596918213i/26741582._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26741582-john-mauro">John Mauro</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span><span class="ReviewerProfile__author"><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__author">Author <i class="Icon BadgeIcon"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 20 20" aria-label="Goodreads Author"><path d="M9.85,5.47C8,5.47,7.08,6.91,7.08,8.58s.93,3,2.66,3a2.78,2.78,0,0,0,2.81-3A2.81,2.81,0,0,0,9.85,5.47Z"></path><path d="M20,10,18.35,8.05,19,5.55l-2.32-1L16.23,2l-2.51.11L12.23,0,10,1.22,7.77,0,6.29,2.09,3.77,2,3.31,4.52,1,5.55l.66,2.5L0,10,1.65,12,1,14.45l2.32,1L3.77,18l2.52-.11L7.77,20,10,18.78,12.23,20l1.49-2.09,2.51.11.46-2.55,2.32-1L18.35,12Zm-7.16,2c0,1.88-1.1,2.77-2.95,2.77-1.43,0-2.66-.63-2.7-2.18h.27c.06,1.37,1.13,1.91,2.42,1.91,1.71,0,2.69-.79,2.69-2.5V10h0a2.79,2.79,0,0,1-2.79,1.94c-2,0-2.95-1.53-2.95-3.31s1-3.38,3.05-3.38a2.7,2.7,0,0,1,2.69,2h0V5.36h.27Z"></path></svg></i></span></span></span><span><span>6 books</span></span><span><span>821 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars RatingStars__small"><span class="baseClass 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9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6610890674">June 29, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">My complete review is published at <a href="https://beforewegoblog.com/review-the-city-and-its-uncertain-walls-by-haruki-murakami/" rel="nofollow noopener">Before We Go Blog</a>.<br /><br />Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i>, serves as his love letter to magical realism and the transcendent power of the written word. The novel traces its origin to a short story of the same name, published in a Japanese literary magazine in 1980. Murakami was unsatisfied with the story and never included it in his anthologies. Nevertheless, its main premise of a time-bending alternate reality served as the starting point for one of the two storylines in his 1985 novel, <i>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</i>. However, the original short story still nagged at Murakami, and he decided to return to it decades later as a more mature, experienced writer. Murakami began work on the novelized version of <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> in 2020, forty years after publishing his original short story. The novel became a pandemic project for Murakami, which feels apropos for a story steeped in isolation.<br /><br />Like many of Murakami’s tales, <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> is told from the first-person perspective of an unnamed male protagonist, conventionally known as “Boku,” one of the Japanese words for “I.” The novel begins as a love story between the seventeen-year-old Boku and his schoolmate, a sixteen-year-old girl who seems detached from reality. She tells Boku that her true self is not in this world, but in an alternate plane of existence, working at a library of dreams in a town surrounded by an immensely tall wall. She tells Boku that he can meet her in that world, becoming the Dream Reader at the library, but when they meet she will have no memory of having known him from outside the walls of that world. One day the girl disappears without warning, and Boku can only assume that she has gone to the fantastical library of her dreams.<br /><br />In the second part of <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i>, we follow Boku into his isolated middle-aged existence. Unsatisfied with his career, he quits his job to become the head librarian at a privately endowed library in a rural community, where he starts to form meaningful attachments to other people. Of particular note is an autistic boy who devours books at the library and seems to retain all the information he reads, essentially becoming a library himself. The relationships that Boku forms at the library may also be key for him to understand what happened to the girl who captured his heart as a boy.<br /><br />The fantasy world in <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> will already be familiar to anyone who has read <i>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</i>. It’s a land where unicorns roam the streets and an imposing Gatekeeper forces people to separate from their shadows. While <i>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</i> paid much more attention to the shadows and unicorns, <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> is more concerned with the nature of time, which ceases to have any meaning in this parallel world. <br /><br />Although the back-of-the-book blurb describes <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> as “an ode to books and to the libraries that house them,” I believe a more accurate description is that it’s Murakami’s ode to magical realism itself: the coexistence of the real and unreal, the living and the dead, the physical and the metaphysical. As in many of his other novels, Murakami uses magical realism to address the universal human desire for finding deeper meaning in a shallow and uncaring world. Murakami even includes a fitting tip of the hat to Gabriel García Márquez, the late Colombian author who was a pioneer in the magical realism genre.<br /><br />Reading <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> evokes similar feelings as watching a Hayao Miyazaki movie. Murakami includes several direct references to Miyazaki’s <i>Spirited Away</i>. But I think the more fitting comparison is with Miyazaki’s last film, <i>The Boy and the Heron</i>. As in this final opus from Miyazaki, Murakami is not treading any new ground in <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i>. Rather, he distills many of his favorite themes, including loneliness, aging, and the quest for spiritual transcendence, into one career-encompassing story.<br /><br />The connections to Murakami’s other works are numerous. Given its shared world, Murakami’s latest novel links most closely with <i>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</i>. Both novels start with the same basic idea, but Murakami takes them in two very different directions. <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> lacks the “hard-boiled wonderland” part of his previous work, giving it a more authentic, sentimental feel. As in Murakami’s most popular novel, <i>Norwegian Wood</i>, <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> features young love doomed by sudden disappearance. The new novel also includes Murakami’s requisite Beatles reference, this time to “Yellow Submarine.” But the deeply introspective nature of the novel most closely recalls that of his greatest masterpiece, <i>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</i>.<br /><br />Murakami’s writing has aged like a fine wine, with eloquent ruminations on the nature of time and memory that recall one of his own literary heroes, the incomparable Marcel Proust. In terms of more recent literature, <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> is recommended for fans of <i>The Book that Wouldn’t Burn</i> by Mark Lawrence. Both of these beautifully written novels pay homage to books and libraries, delivering insights on the nature of time and aging within a love story set across parallel worlds. However, while Lawrence delivers plenty of fantasy action, Murakami slows the pace down dramatically with meditations on isolation and social interaction. Although this is probably Murakami’s slowest-paced book to date, I savored every moment.<br /><br />Altogether, <i>The City and its Uncertain Walls</i> is a well-earned victory lap for the marathon-running Haruki Murakami, forty-five years into his distinguished literary career. This is Murakami’s most refined and eloquent work to date, a Proustian novel full of nuance and emotion that leverages magical realism to take on the tyranny of time itself.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">131 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">12 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--transparent Button--medium Button--rounded" aria-label="More options, Menu pop up"><span class="Button__labelItem"><i class="Icon MoreIcon"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M6,10 C7.1045695,10 8,10.8954305 8,12 C8,13.1045695 7.1045695,14 6,14 C4.8954305,14 4,13.1045695 4,12 C4,10.8954305 4.8954305,10 6,10 Z M12,10 C13.1045695,10 14,10.8954305 14,12 C14,13.1045695 13.1045695,14 12,14 C10.8954305,14 10,13.1045695 10,12 C10,10.8954305 10.8954305,10 12,10 Z M18,10 C19.1045695,10 20,10.8954305 20,12 C20,13.1045695 19.1045695,14 18,14 C16.8954305,14 16,13.1045695 16,12 C16,10.8954305 16.8954305,10 18,10 Z"></path></svg></i></span></button></div></div></div></footer><hr class="Divider Divider--mediumMargin" role="presentation"/></section></article></div><div><article class="ReviewCard" aria-label="Review by Liong"><div class="ReviewCard__profile"><div class="ReviewerProfile ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21348532-liong" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Liong." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1383562508i/21348532._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21348532-liong">Liong</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>242 reviews</span><span><span>368 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars 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class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">I had been waiting for this book to be translated into English or Chinese for a year.<br><br>For about ten days, I was completely immersed and enveloped in its world.<br><br>I truly enjoyed the time I spent in both this fictional city and the real world around me. Yet, I found myself questioning: Is this city real, or does it not exist at all? 🤔<br><br>Now, it’s time to revisit the Murakami Bingo.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1474874655i/20649902._SY540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><b>Courtesy to New York Times.</b><br><br>Murakami writes in this book, "No matter how many pages you turned without page numbers changing."<br><br>“Like I can't draw a line between dream and reality.” This sentiment resonates deeply throughout the novel.<br><br>I felt sad and forlorn when the protagonist used "Farewell" instead of "See you tomorrow" during the final trip to take the girl home. Could this be a hint that this might be Murakami’s last novel?<br><br>This novel is not easy to read; its impact varies depending on the reader’s age and life experiences.<br><br>If I were to sum up the book, it would be this: Nothing is permanent, and yet, nothing is truly impermanent—in this world or the one beyond.<br><br>Finally, I returned to this world and realized my watch hands were showing it was time to sleep. ⌚<br><br>Am I still dreaming, or am I writing this review on Goodreads? Is it my shadow doing this, or my real self?<br><br>This book challenges us to think deeply about memory, identity, love, connection, our inner and outer worlds, the certainty of reality, and the power of visualization.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=asian-literature" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">asian-literature</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=fantasy" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">fantasy</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=fiction" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">fiction</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span> <div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium" aria-label="Show all items in the list"><span class="Button__labelItem">...more</span></button></div></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">127 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">13 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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-0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-2small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-2small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6195340449">November 10, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted"><b>Well this was a deception, classic case of Murakami teasing a lot but not fully delivering on the interesting concepts in the end. A metaphorical city tied to childhood losses controls a whole life and book without satisfying catharsis</b><br /><br />A city where people don’t have shadows, where unicorns roam and where the walls move to contain the populace. The setting of the new <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/3354.Haruki_Murakami" title="Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Haruki Murakami</a> is interesting but never crystallizes further into a coherent narrative leading to a plot. Maybe a metaphor for the things one loses as a child and which can never be revisited or changed, but way too long to be fully engrossing and interesting. Also everyone has hunches, intuitions, convictions, or infodumps delivered to them by ghosts, just to keep things moving on in the most inelegant manner possible.<br /><br />People in general in the <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/209192695.The_City_and_Its_Uncertain_Walls" title="The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">The City and Its Uncertain Walls</a> feel numb, reeling from childhood/high-school romances they never seem to be able to surmount in later life, being unmoored and adrift as outsiders in the wider world when growing up. Being a dream reader of eggs in a mysterious cold city, even if taken into account some damage to the eyes, hence becomes an obsession to the main character.<br /><br />The initial love history to be fair is touching, if borderline saccharine, but the long, long, long rural library scenes that didn't go anywhere accept for drinking coffee, eating pastries and sort of abducting a trouble teenager, never satisfied anything I actually wanted in the second half of the novel. <br /><br />Again, maybe the city is a metaphor for mental health and the alienation modern day life brings upon people growing up, but even if it is, the execution is just too boring and longwinding to make this an overall worthwhile read for me.<br /><br /><b>Dutch Quotes:</b><br /><i>Mensen die bang zijn om naar binnen te kijken om daar iets verschrikkelijks en onvermijdelijks te vinden<br /><br />Mijn werkelijke lichaam is ergens anders<br /><br />Nog even volhouden, naarmate je meer went aan het leven trekt de pijn zich terug.<br /><br />Soms lijkt het doden van je bewustzijn het makkelijkste <br /><br />Stilte en leegte, afgezien hiervan valt over de mens die ik ben niets meer te zeggen <br /><br />De werkelijkheid en de onwerkelijkheid waren in mijn hoofd in een hevige strijd verwikkeld <br /><br />Zoals de schaduw zei, het werd steeds moeilijker onderscheid te maken tussen wat hypothese was en wat werkelijkheid <br /><br />Het diepe gevoel misplaatst te zijn<br /><br />Het is gevaarlijk daaraan te denken<br /><br />Wanneer een overledene verschijnt en zegt dat hij niet weet of er zoiets als een ziel is, hoe moet je daar dan tegen in brengen?</i></span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/76202320?shelf=japanese-literature" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">japanese-literature</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">84 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">3 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/170145013-chris" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Chris." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1695494469i/170145013._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/170145013-chris">Chris</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>164 reviews</span><span><span>63 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 3 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars 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9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-1small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-1small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6162613170">June 5, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Waarom lees ik Murakami? En waarom voelt dat intussen aan als een vorm van 'guilty pleasure'? Die vragen was ik me al tijdens het lezen van zijn nieuwste worp gaan stellen. Als lezer met altijd wel een wachtend stapeltje boeken op mijn leestafel hoef ik me intussen niet per se over te geven aan de literaire waan van de dag, maar een handvol auteurs doet mij toch altijd meteen naar de boekhandel rennen als ze een nieuwe roman uitbrengen (o.a. Knausgård, Pfeijffer en dus ook Murakami). Soms is het blijkbaar gewoon fijn om mee te gaan in een hype.<br /><br />Murakami is in tegenstelling tot die twee andere auteurs nooit echt verrassend. Zijn oeuvre vormt een wereld op zich; een universum met magisch-realistische variaties waarin muziek, metafysica en een kafkaiaanse vervreemding terugkerende elementen zijn. Als je hem leest, stap je dat universum binnen en geef je jezelf over aan de verwondering en aan zijn bezwerende stijl.<br /><br />Over die bezwerende stijl begon ik tijdens het lezen van deze roman na te denken, zeker nadat het personage van de jongen met de hoodie van de Yellow Submarine zijn opwachting maakte. Die jongen is een soort 'rain man' die autistische trekjes en kenmerken van het zogenaamde 'savantsyndroom' vertoont, waarmee hij o.a. alles wat hij leest en opmerkt onthoudt, maar geen emoties vertoont en bijna nooit praat. Murakami is voor mij een schrijver die heel overtuigend de teugels in handen houdt en uiterst nauwgezet schrijft. De ogenschijnlijk overbodige details en vooral de vele herhalingen die hij inlast, wekken niet zelden de indruk dat hij je als lezer nadrukkelijker en preciezer wil sturen dan andere schrijvers. Alsof hij weinig of niets aan de verbeelding van de lezer wil overlaten, om zich ervan te verzekeren dat je hem juist leest, op het autistische af, zou je kunnen zeggen. En dat zou volgens mij wel eens de reden kunnen zijn dat sommigen (zoals Connie Palmen) zijn boeken vreselijk vinden. Terwijl het voor mij eerder als een vorm van overgave aanvoelt aan die rigide Murakami-bezwering.<br /><br />Die overgave kwam voor mij deze keer echter pas bij het begin van het middendeel, na zo'n kleine 200 pagina's. Het eerste deel mocht dan intrigerend zijn, het was mij toch vooral te langdradig en een tikkeltje saai. Bovendien stoorde ik me af en toe aan de vertaling. Naast het foutief gebruikte (want mannelijke) bezittelijke voornaamwoord voor de stad in de titel, kwam ik regelmatig passages tegen waarin onnodig tussen o.v.t. en o.t.t. geschakeld werd. Als dat omwille van de 'onvastheid' uit de titel opzettelijk zo zou zijn geschreven, had er wel een noot van de vertaler gestaan. Dus ja, een tikkeltje slordig.<br /><br />Over de inhoud wil ik verder niet spoilen, maar voor mij was dit een klassieke, zeg maar doorsnee Murakami. In tegenstelling tot zijn vorige, verrassend originele <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/36678039.Een_Idea_verschijnt__De_moord_op_Commendatore___1_" title="Een Idea verschijnt (De moord op Commendatore, #1) by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Een Idea verschijnt</a>/<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/36678098.Metaforen_verschuiven__De_moord_op_Commendatore___2_" title="Metaforen verschuiven (De moord op Commendatore, #2) by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Metaforen verschuiven</a> en mijn absolute favoriet <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/3041995.De_opwindvogelkronieken" title="De opwindvogelkronieken by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">De opwindvogelkronieken</a>, vond ik 'De stad en zijn onvaste muren' geen hoogvlieger. En toch heb ik er graag en gretig in doorgelezen, precies zoals dat hoort bij een guilty pleasure.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">51 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">12 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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class="ReviewerProfile ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/117699577-marc-mart-nez-campayo" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Marc Martínez-Campayo." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1726151480i/117699577._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/117699577-marc-mart-nez-campayo">Marc Martínez-Campayo</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>26 reviews</span><span><span>21 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div 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id="clip_RatingStar_undefined-3small"><path d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></clipPath><path id="path_RatingStar_undefined-3small" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-3small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-3small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6340154125">April 12, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Hacía años que no me enfadaba tanto con un libro. Esto es simplemente un despropósito y el peor Murakami hasta la fecha. La premisa inicial es interesante y, aunque le cuesta, parece que finalmente arranca. Pero, de repente, cuando no has leído ni 200 páginas, corta de raíz con lo que estaba planteando y salta a contarte el mayor tostonazo que has leído en toda tu vida. 300 páginas extra para describir detalles absurdos e inútiles y repetir las mismas estructuras y escenas (que no aportan nada y son densísimas) una y otra vez. Un libro pesadísimo cual chaval de discoteca, te da la misma chapa y te obliga también a poner los ojos en blanco cada quince segundos. El cierre es el mismo despropósito, aunque admito que las últimas 100 páginas las he leído en diagonal porque no podía más. No responde a las preguntas planteadas en la primera parte y que son lo único interesante del libro (no resuelve nada y lo peor es que te acaba dando igual). A la chica (que ocupa la cubierta y <i>toda</i> la contracubierta) no la busquéis, porque no se vuelve a saber nada de ella y lo que se sabe es entre poco y nada. <br /><br />Lo que más me enfada es la aparente timidez de Murakami aquí para explicar ciertas cosas, como si quisiera decir mucho pero le diese demasiada pereza desarrollarlo. La trampa de que el narrador "no sepa explicar algo" y, por tanto, tengas una justificación para no explicar ese <i>algo</i> te puede funcionar una vez, pero cuando te acoges a ese comodín cada vez que <i>pasa algo</i> que podría ser interesante y que necesita de un desarrollo, acaba siendo directamente aburrido. Una y otra vez el protagonista repitiendo "no sabría definir lo que estaba pasando", "no podría explicar lo que sucedía", "era una sensación imposible de describir". El mundo mágico de las novelas de Murakami está pero sin estar, porque es Murakami escrito de memoria, perfectamente una autoparodia de sí mismo. Hay metáforas y comparaciones (o más bien imágenes innecesarias y metidas con calzador) que dan risa –cito textualmente: «Continuó mirándolos sin pestañear, con una agudeza crítica en la mirada que se diría propia de Paul Cézanne al abordar el estudio de las formas en su bodegón <i>Cesto de manzanas</i>»– y de la grima que da su utilización del sexo no hace falta ni hablar; es realmente apasionante leer durante 500 páginas a un hombre de más de 40 años que sigue obsesionado con una niña de 16 y sus "turgentes pechos" (lo de "turgentes pechos" aparece como cuatro veces). Es que ni siquiera es bonito de leer.<br /><br />Una experiencia horrible, no lo leáis o hacedlo si vuestro objetivo es enfadaros muchísimo. Yo ya soy libre.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/117699577?shelf=2024" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">2024</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">51 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">2 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/112827298-anna-carina" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Anna Carina." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1717060351i/112827298._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/112827298-anna-carina">Anna Carina</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>594 reviews</span><span><span>223 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 2 out of 5" 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id="clip_RatingStar_undefined-2small"><path d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></clipPath><path id="path_RatingStar_undefined-2small" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-2small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-2small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6145480643">January 17, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">2,5 Sterne <br /><br /><b> Oh! Darling<br />Please believe me<br />I’ll never do you no harm<br />Believe me when I tell you<br />I’ll never do you no harm<br /><br />Oh Darling<br />If you leave me <br />I’ll never make it alone… </b><br />[Beatles]<br /><br />Murakami beweist mit diesem Buch wieder einmal seinen Blick und Hingabe für die Außenseiter der Gesellschaft. Leise Menschen, die im Lärm der Anderen untergehen. Die Beschädigten, voller Schmerz und Angst, vor sich selbst. Angst einen anderen zu beschädigen.<br />Er entführt uns in eine Art Nirwana der Friedfertigkeit. Das Buch ist von Anfang bis Ende ein Rückzug aus der Realität in die Illusion. Die Logik, die in der die Welt der Sprache angesiedelt ist, deren Grenzen, die Grenzen meiner Welt ausmachen, setzt Murakami aus.<br />Der Junge im Yellow-Submarine-Pullover liest Wittgensteins tractatus parallel zur isländischen Sagenwelt. <br />Die Ratio weicht der Intuition.<br />Die Welt der symbolischen Ordnung, der Sprache und Kultur, der sozialen Ordnung fordert ihren Tribut. Fragmentierung des Selbst, ein Gefühl des Mangels, Verlust des direkten Zugangs zu den wahren Wünschen und Bedürfnissen.<br />Dieser Mangel wird in voller Anerkennung von Murakami bespielt. <br />Und jetzt wird es problematisch. Ein Fosse in „Der Andere Name“ hat das gleiche Ziel: Hinein ins Reale, ran ans Unaussprechliche, Unmögliche. Auflösung der symbolischen Ordnung. Dafür müssen unsere Figuren feststecken, eine innere Erstarrung durchleben. In Mumis Fall durch das Nirwana der Friedfertigkeit bespielt. Dies muss zur Folge haben, dass die Welt in vereinfachte, dichotome Kategorien unterteilt ist. Fosse löst dies auf höchster literarischer Sprach- und Stilebene. Murakami löst dies, indem er uns eine Fahrt auf dem Kinderkarussel gewährt.<br />Es kommen solche Dialoge dabei rum:<br /><i> „Vielleicht sehnten Sie sich tief in ihrem Herzen danach, die Stadt zu verlassen und auf diese Seite zurückzukehren.“<br />„Das würde also bedeuten, dass dieser Wille der stärker ist als mein eigener, nicht außerhalb von mir war, sondern in mir selbst?“<br />„Das ist natürlich nur eine haltlose persönliche Vermutung von mir. Aber nach Ihrer Geschichte kann ich es mir nicht anders vorstellen. Wahrscheinlich sind Sie freiwillig in diese unheimliche Stadt gegangen und aus freien Stücken zurückgekehrt. Diese Feder, die Sie zurückkatapultiert hat, muss eine besondere Kraft in Ihnen selbst sein. Der starke Wille tief in Ihnen hat dieses große Kommen und Gehen möglich gemacht. Auf einem Gebiet, das über Ihre Logik und Vernunft hinausreicht.“<br />„Woher wissen Sie das?“<br />„Das ist nur meine persönliche Meinung. Vielleicht stimmt es nicht. Aber ich habe es irgendwie im Urin (auch wenn es zweifelhaft ist, dass die Seele eines Verstorbenen Urin birgt).<br />Ja, so könnte es gewesen sein. Natürlich passiert es nicht jedem. Aber irgendwo und irgendwann kann es passieren. Wenn man einen starken Willen und ein reines Herz hat.“ </i><br /><br />Das Buch unterfordert maßlos. Es funktioniert aber über weite Strecken.<br />Insbesondere dort, wo wir in die Lebensgeschichten der Figuren abtauchen, den Jungen mit dem Yellow-Submarine-Pullover verfolgen, die Winterstimmung, die Atmosphäre in der Bibliothek in uns aufsaugen. Es ist so pastell: uneindeutig, zart, schwebend, fluffig, liebevoll, friedvoll.<br />Murakami verweigert sich sprachlich dem Schmerz. Er will heilen, weiß aber nicht wie.<br />Man gleitet fröhlich auf dieser rosa Zuckerwatte vor sich hin, bis „der Lauch im Bett“, einen mit einem Gongschlag zurückholt oder vor Zuckersirup triefende Tränke (Weisheiten) eines wirren Mirakulix gereicht werden – Sprachkitsch vom Feinsten.<br />Murakami arbeitet erstaunlich plakativ die Symbolik heraus. Ich kenne es von seinen Büchern, dass ich seinen magischen Realismus in der Imagination oft nicht kapiere. Er lässt es für sich stehen. Hier erklärt er ihn. Dies führt ua. zu diesen äußerst skurrilen Dialogen und Gedanken, die sich kindlich, naiv, vereinfacht darstellen. Ich verweise hier auf meinen Punkt des Feststeckens und der Konsequenz daraus zu Vereinfachen. Er muss dies so anlegen, um die Dauerflucht ins Imaginäre aufrechtzuerhalten. Dadurch verliert er den Anspruch und literarische Qualität. Den Preis den er für seine stilistischen, sprachlichen Entscheidungen zahlt, wie er die Vermittlung des Unbewussten angeht, das der Symbolisierung widersteht, ist meines Erachtens zu hoch. <br /><br />Das Buch ist in 3 Teile gegliedert. Mit Teil 1 stolpert er äußerst unbeholfen in die Stadt mit der Mauer. Fällt mit der Tür ins Haus. Da rumpelt es sprachlich und kompositorisch übelst hart.<br />Teil 2 ist der längste und geglückt. Die von mir erwähnten Ausreißer ausgenommen.<br />Teil 3 schließt in sich das Buch rund ab und tunkt mich zum Ende nochmal tief in eingekochten Sprachkitsch, der klassisch philosophische Ideen in sprühendes, wirr tanzendes Konfetti der Selbstfindung verwandelt.<br /><br />Ich muss mal warten wie gut das Buch einwirkt und was es noch mit mir macht, um über 3 Sterne nachzudenken. 2 Sterne sind hart. Ich weiß.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">47 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">13 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/45597216-yuko-shimizu" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Yuko Shimizu." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1442516223i/45597216._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/45597216-yuko-shimizu">Yuko Shimizu</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span><span class="ReviewerProfile__author"><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__author">Author <i class="Icon BadgeIcon"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 20 20" aria-label="Goodreads Author"><path 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dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">It is late 2023, and this new novel has only been out in Japanese. So, this is not really a review. I am writing this to give fellow Murakami fans a small preview of what to expect. <br /><br />If you have not read <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/10374.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World" title="Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener"> Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</a> yet or have been a while since you did, you may want to revisit while you await the translation. (in fact, I should read it again too). These are not directly related, but they take place (partially) in the same world. The format is similar too, two worlds switch around in different chapters. <br /><br />The original form of this story was published in a magazine as a novella back around 1980. The author expanded the story into this novel, after 40 years, during the pandemic. The characters, in the real world or in the walled city, seem so isolated and alone. Which may be explained by the circumstances in which this book was written. <br /><br />This is a very quiet book. Nothing much happens, and yet, a lot of things happen. All very quietly. <br />Scenes are extremely vivid and visual, filled with symbols. As an illustrator, I have a strange and strong urge to draw these into sketches. (haven't had a chance yet!) Ghost of old male librarian in skirt, walled city without maps, unicorns, dreams in the library, old beret hat, stoves that burns apple tree rogs, shadows separeted from the owners, a boy in Yellow Submarine hoodie...<br /><br />(I have no idea if Murakami knows or has read an Albanian novel <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/797635.The_Palace_of_Dreams" title="The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare" rel="noopener"> The Palace of Dreams</a> by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/10838.Ismail_Kadare" title="Ismail Kadare" rel="noopener">Ismail Kadare</a>, which is also about isolation and reading dreams as an occupation, which I kept thinking about while I was reading this. )<br /><br />It is a very long (as usual, all Murakami novels are!) quiet novel, but I never got bored. <br />I felt that it is a book only a writer who has lived long enough he is in a life stage where he has a lot of thoughts looking back at his life more so than looking at the future. <br /><br />Five stars. <br />I am definitely going to be rereading this again soon. So much feelings. Hope you will enjoy it when it comes out in your language.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">46 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">8 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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role="presentation"><defs><clipPath id="clip_RatingStar_undefined-2small"><path d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></clipPath><path id="path_RatingStar_undefined-2small" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-2small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-2small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6692322552">September 9, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Hace tiempo decidí no leer más a Murakami. Lo que empezó siendo una pasión memorable (Crónica del pájaro, Kafka y Tokyo Blues), se fue convirtiendo en cierta indiferencia no exenta de momentos placenteros (la caza del carnero, Sputnik) para acabar saturado primero con la excesiva e interminable 1Q84 y noqueado definitivamente con el Fin del Mundo. <br />Decía que ya había tenido yo suficiente Murakami, hasta que a un amigo (un buen amigo, todo hay que decirlo) se le ocurrió regalarme la novela que aquí nos ocupa. Joder, si yo no quería leer más Murakamis. Pero uno es de natural agradecido, y aquí que he estado buena parte del verano sufriendo una vez más con los habituales desadaptados sociales que protagonizan todas sus novelas, con sus Beatles, su música Jazz, sus gatos, sus suicidios, y como no podía ser de otra manera, una ración doble no, triple más bien, de sucesos inexplicables, fantasías oníricas, y momentos absurdos que no conducen a ningún sitio y para los que yo, ya, no tengo paciencia (si hasta unicornios tenemos en esta ocasión, madre de Dios). <br />Yo no quería leer más a Murakami, y esta ciudad y sus muros inciertos no ha hecho más que confirmar mi decisión.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">43 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">25 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/118876002-harun-ahmed" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Harun Ahmed." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1710087036i/118876002._UX200_CR0,50,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/118876002-harun-ahmed">Harun Ahmed</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>1,350 reviews</span><span><span>283 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><b>Read</b></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6940230184">November 12, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted"><blockquote>"মাঝে মাঝে মনে হয় আমি যেন কারও, কোনো কিছুর ছায়া," এমনভাবে বললে যেন গোপন কোনো কথা ফাঁস করছো। "এখানে যে আমি আছি, তার কোনো অস্তিত্ব নেই, আমার আসল অস্তিত্ব কোথাও অন্য জায়গায়। এখানে যে আমি আছি, সে দেখতে আমার মতো হলেও আসলে মাটিতে বা দেওয়ালে পড়া আমার ছায়া মাত্র...এরকমই মনে হয় আমার।"</blockquote><br /><br />পরিচিত মনে হচ্ছে লাইনগুলো? আপনি মুরাকামির "hard boiled wonderland" পড়ে থাকলে একটু বেশিই পরিচিত মনে হবে কথাটা। আমি এখানে, আমার ছায়া অন্যখানে, আশ্চর্য এক শহর, সেখানে মানুষের শরীরে ছায়া নেই (প্রকারান্তরে তাদের আত্মা নেই), কিন্তু সেই ছায়ার আবার আলাদা অস্তিত্ব আছে, সেখান থেকে বের হওয়া যায় না - মনে হবে দেজাভু হচ্ছে। মুরাকামি পড়তে যেয়ে দেজাভুর অনুভূতি হওয়া অবশ্য দুর্লভ ব্যাপার নয়। কিন্তু এখানে একটু বেশিই হয় অনুভূতিটা। ভূমিকা পড়ে জানা গেলো, এই উপন্যাস আসলে hard boiled wonderland এরই আরেকটা বিকল্প বয়ান। শুরুতে প্রচুর মিল থাকলেও ধীরে ধীরে গল্প অন্যদিকে মোড় নেয়। মানুষের অস্তিত্ব নিয়ে দার্শনিক জিজ্ঞাসাই লেখার মূল উপজীব্য বলে মনে হয়েছে। যারা পূর্বোক্ত উপন্যাসটি পড়েছে তারা তুলনা করবে বাধ্য হয়ে। hard boiled wonderland ছিলো টানটান, শেষ পর্যন্ত উত্তুঙ্গ আগ্রহ বজায় ছিলো পাঠকের। "অ-জানি শহর" এলানো, শিথিল কিন্তু গল্পের পরিণতি আগ্রহ জাগানিয়া। বারবার তুলনা এসে পড়ায় উপন্যাসটা আসলেই কতটুকু ভালো লাগলো তা নিয়ে আমি সন্দিহান কিন্তু মুরাকামির আগের উপন্যাস killing commendatore এর চাইতে এ বই তুলনামূলকভাবে সবল। তবে, মুরাকামি তার লেখার ধার আর ফেরত পাবেন বলে মনে হয় না। <br /><br />(অনুবাদ দারুণ। বেশ অবাক হয়েছি বল�� যায়।)</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span 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0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-2small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-2small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6160289526">January 25, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted"><b>Mühsam verkitteter Allegorie-Exzess, oder wie Sprache gegen sich selbst kämpft und am Ende verliert. Seltsam nahe am Bedeutungsnirwana. </b><br /><br />Ausführlicher, vielleicht begründeter auf <a href="https://kommunikativeslesen.com/2024/01/23/haruki-murakami-die-stadt-und-ihre-ungewisse-mauer/" rel="nofollow noopener">kommunikativeslesen.com</a> <br /><br />Ob es an der Übersetzung liegt (mir wurde versichert, dass nicht), Stilist ist Haruki Murakami jedenfalls nicht. Auch in „Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ hakelt und radebricht es von Seite zu Seite im Stolperschritt:<br /><br /><i>„In diese diffusen Gedanken versunken, schritt ich durch die abendliche Dämmerung. Auf Höhe des Uhrturms warf ich gewohnheitsmäßig einen Blick auf die zeigerlose Uhr, die nicht die Zeit anzeigte, sondern deren Bedeutungslosigkeit veranschaulichte. Die Zeit ist nicht stehen geblieben, hat aber ihre Bedeutung verloren.“</i><br /><br />Absätze wie diese konzentriert gelesen, fallen in sich zusammen. Wie kann etwas, das fehlt, eine Bedeutungslosigkeit veranschaulichen? Und was hat das Stehenbleiben der Zeit mit ihrer Bedeutung zu tun? Bei der Lektüre „Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ häufen sich solche Sätze, die entweder metonymisch Katachresen erzeugen oder letztlich tautologisch ineinander übergehen und die Erzählung auf der Stelle treten lassen:<br /><br /><i>„War ich dieses wahrere Ich geworden? War es – dieses Ich, das ich nun war – mein wahres Ich? Aber wer konnte schon beurteilen, ob er sein wahres Ich war oder nicht? Wie sollte man eindeutig zwischen einem Subjekt und einem Objekt unterscheiden, die miteinander verschmolzen waren? Je mehr ich darüber nachdachte, desto weniger begriff ich.“</i><br /><br />Worum geht’s? Ein Ich-Erzähler verliebt sich in jungen Jahren. Das Mädchen verschwindet, bevor es aber verschwindet, imaginieren sie gemeinsam eine geheimnisvolle Stadt, in der sie gemeinsam leben und voneinander träumen könnten. Der Ich-Erzähler wächst auf, vergisst das Mädchen nie, und trifft fortan auf Repräsentanten seines jüngeren und älteren Ich. Es trifft auch auf Repräsentanten des jungen Mädchens, und all dies im Zusammenhang mit dem Leib-Seele-Problem, dem Unbewussten, dem Traum und der Frage, was ist ein Traum, was Wirklichkeit und eigentlich Fiktion?<br /><br /><i>„Ich weiß nicht, wie viel davon wahr ist und wie viel Fiktion. Aber die Stadt gewährt mir diese Freuden und Gefühlsregungen.“</i><br /><br />Der Ich-Erzähler weiß sehr wenig. Er weiß nicht, wann er schläft, wann er träumt, was er fühlt, was er begehrt, was er sich wünscht. Er weiß nicht, Tod und Leben zu unterscheiden, Subjekt von Objekt zu trennen. Im Grunde lässt er sich treiben und will auch nichts anderes, als sich treiben zu lassen:<br /><br /><i>„»Sind Sie aus Tokio hierher in die Berge gezogen, um [die Liebe ihres Lebens] zu vergessen?«<br />Ich schüttelte lächelnd den Kopf. »Nein, so einen romantischen Grund hatte ich nicht. Egal, wo man ist, in der Stadt oder auf dem Land, es ist immer das Gleiche. Ich schwimme einfach mit dem Strom.«“</i><br /><br />„Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ will niemandem ans Leder. Der Roman entzieht sich allen Fragen, allen Bedeutungsebenen. Friedlich, geruhsam, sanftmütig schleicht der Ich-Erzähler durch die Nächte, den Winter, während Schnee unter seinen Schuhen knirscht. Er wünscht sich eine andere Welt. Er wünscht sich Zauber, Mystik und Transzendenz, Einhörner, Gespenster und auch Blaubeermuffins. Leider findet das alles nicht zusammen. <br /><br />Es besitzt Stellen, die komisch sind, wie Halldór Laxness‘ „<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/2988602.Am_Gletscher" title="Am Gletscher by Halldór Laxness" rel="noopener">Am Gletscher</a>“, in denen ebenfalls die Transzendenz und das Leben nach dem Tod verhandelt werden. Es enthält etwas von Alfred Kubins Traumwelt „<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/16038679.Die_andere_Seite" title="Die andere Seite by Alfred Kubin" rel="noopener">Die andere Seite</a>“, in der das Unbewusste sich zeigt und wütet (martialisches Prokreation der Einhörner, bspw). Und es besitzt das Impressionistische von Joshua Groß‘ „<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/61739043.Prana_Extrem" title="Prana Extrem by Joshua Groß" rel="noopener">Prana Extrem</a>“, und das Dunkle, Wiederkehrende von Jon Fosses „<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/48507070.Der_andere_Name__Heptalogie_I_II" title="Der andere Name. Heptalogie I–II by Jon Fosse" rel="noopener">Der andere Name. Heptalogie I–II</a>“.<br /><br />Im Grunde wirft Murakamis Sprache aber das weiße Handtuch. Er will nicht festgelegt werden, und niemanden festlegen. Er will einfach lauschen, spazieren gehen, vor sich hindümpeln und in Ruhe gelassen werden. „Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ lädt zu einer leeren, fröhlichen, sinnlosen Fahrt ein – und das wirre Erzählen, na ja, es ersetzt einfach die Stille, so dass es noch nicht einmal ärgerlich ist.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/133401084?shelf=owned-books" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">owned-books</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">39 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">9 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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class="ReviewerProfile ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/119456718-scar-moreno-oscarbooker" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Óscar Moreno (OscarBooker) ." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1632093796i/119456718._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/119456718-scar-moreno-oscarbooker">Óscar Moreno (OscarBooker) </a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>332 reviews</span><span><span>448 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars RatingStars__small"><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path 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href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6382653725">April 21, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Al autor de este libro le tomó 40 años darle forma a esta historia. Casi medio siglo para agregar más y más carne. Se nota. Es una novela con múltiples matices que juega con el lector y lo reta constantemente. <br /><br />Realmente no tengo ningún “pero” para este libro. El personaje de Koyazu es precioso y ansío poder abrazarlo. El de el niño “Yellow submarine” me parece muy cercano y vivido. <br /><br />Hasta este momento, en que escribo estas palabras, tengo una lista escrita a mano con siete preguntas para interpretar todo el simbolismo. Me queda claro que hubo influencia de “Alicia y el país de las maravillas” pero este mundo de Murakami es más profundo o al menos eso lo parece. <br /><br />Se mezclan temas como la muerte, las enfermedades mentales, la identidad, ausencia de empatía/amor, la vida, la creatividad o la esperanza.<br /><br />Tengo que sentarme a repensar las notas mentales de esta lectura pues es sumamente rica e interesante. No encuentro excusa para no darle la calificación máxima en esta aplicación. </span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">34 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">1 comment</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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class="ReviewerProfile ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2942168-the-speculative-shelf" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for The Speculative Shelf." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1708180040i/2942168._UY200_CR2,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2942168-the-speculative-shelf">The Speculative Shelf</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>267 reviews</span><span><span>363 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div 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1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-1small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-1small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6321484635">November 19, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Our main character inhabits two parallel worlds—one is the “real world,” and the other is a “dream world” reminiscent of Susanna Clarke’s <i>Piranesi</i>: a nameless city with labyrinthine streets that feels disorienting yet mesmerizing.<br /><br />The story is told in an understated and straightforward way, with little drama but plenty of pleasant imagery. Some elements felt downright cozy, though they lacked significant dramatic heft. The main character grapples with existential questions about his inner worldview and his sense of self, which are represented through the parallel worlds he experiences. Is the walled town a construct of his mind? A physical manifestation of the complex bond he shared with his first love? Who’s to say?<br /><br />Murakami abandons the eponymous city for the “real world” early on, and the farther the narrative distances itself from that place, the harder it becomes—for both the main character and the reader—to return to what we once remembered. The plot clumsily attempts to weave these threads and worlds back together, but the resulting knot felt unsatisfying to me.<br /><br />Many reviews have noted that Murakami has told similar stories more effectively in the past, so surely this is not the ideal book to start with as a Murakami neophyte—but here we are. I suspect I would connect better with his earlier works, as his writing and style resonated with me, but the story itself felt half-baked.<br /><br /><i>My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.</i><br /><br /><b> <a href="https://https//speculativeshelf.com/2024/11/19/review-the-city-and-its-uncertain-walls/" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> </b> | <b> <a href="https://bit.ly/specshelf-twitter" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> </b> | <b> <a href="https://bit.ly/specshelf-ig" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> </b></span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">31 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/114415166-melissabastaleggere" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for melissabastaleggere." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1721594341i/114415166._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/114415166-melissabastaleggere">melissabastaleggere</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>146 reviews</span><span><span>514 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span 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9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined0small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined0small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889397867">October 6, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">sto vecchio giapponese bavoso bastardo scrive lo stesso libro da 50 anni eppure magicamente riesce sempre a farmi piangere sangue<br />ho fatto le 3 di mattina per finirlo e mi sento come quella volta che “no no ma è leggera” e sono andata in bianca<br />voi tt bn?</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">35 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/162514525-katharina-hartwell" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Katharina Hartwell." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1675795561i/162514525._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/162514525-katharina-hartwell">Katharina Hartwell</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>22 reviews</span><span><span>2 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars RatingStars__small"><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 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9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6191810174">February 3, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">I understand people‘s grievances. But no other writer makes me feel like they were gently tidying my brain. </span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">28 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/107189564-marco-wolf" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Marco Wolf." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1727795284i/107189564._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/107189564-marco-wolf">Marco Wolf</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>517 reviews</span><span><span>19 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 4 out of 5" 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tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Droom en werkelijkheid lopen door elkaar heen, zodanig dat het je uiteindelijk in deze dikke pil gaat duizelen; werkelijkheid of droom, persoon of schaduw? Opnieuw start Murakami in een hoog tempo vele verhalen, maar geeft hij nauwelijks afgeronde einden. Het begint heel sterk met geliefden voor het leven. Dat is de ontsteker voor de rest van het boek dat voor mij toch vooral over eenzaamheid gaat. Jazz, whisky, katten, niet alledaagse personages, je komt het wederom allemaal tegen. De verhaallijnen vinden alleen geen slot. Het zijn raadsels die je als lezer mag oplossen. Wat is bijvoorbeeld de betekenis van de hoody met de yellow submarine: er zijn vele werkelijkheden en we leven allemaal in die van onszelf?<br /><br />Hoewel het plot ingewikkeld is, is het boek zoals altijd vlot leesbaar, geschreven in een prachtige dromerige stijl. Murakami tracht in deze roman verbeelding en ‘echte wereld’ los te trekken van elkaar. Vertrouw op je hart en volg je ingevingen, zal dat het centrale thema zijn? Of is er geen eenduidige betekenis te geven aan dit boek, is de werkelijkheid zoals het is, zoals ieder deze voor zich ervaart en in onze verbeelding betekenis krijgt? Durf zelf steeds opnieuw betekenis te geven aan een continu veranderende wereld, zal dat het zijn? Enfin, het blijft raadselachtig, wat onbevredigend zelfs, maar het is zeker geen straf een keer opnieuw te beginnen in dit boek.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/107189564?shelf=buitenlandse-literatuur" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">buitenlandse-literatuur</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/107189564?shelf=magisch-realisme" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">magisch-realisme</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">26 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">4 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/138043432-reem" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Reem ." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1709246562i/138043432._UX200_CR0,78,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/138043432-reem">Reem </a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>277 reviews</span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><b>Read</b></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030810276">December 1, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted"><b>If I lose it all, slip and fall, I will never look away / if I lose it all, lose it all, lose it all / if I lose it all, outside the wall, live to die another day / I don’t want anything, I’m just here to…</b> (The Rumbling - SiM)<br /><br />Yes, I pulled a <i>@Noah</i> with lyrics in the review and it’s fun😆 honestly in this book, each time they mention 'A TOWN SURROUNDED BY A HIGH WALL' (which was 114 times, I counted) this song plays in my head and now it’s a worm in my ear! <br /><br />This book is an expansion (that turned into something different) of the <u> <b> End of the World</b> </u> parts of his book <i>’<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/106484.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World" title="Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami" rel="noopener">Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World</a>’</i> that I thought I needed but I personally enjoyed the old book more; apologies Mr Murakami. <br /><br />I’m not rating it until I read it again when I’m in a different mindset, so I can appreciate it more. Especially since it seemed special to the author, who published it as a short story in 1980 but wasn’t satisfied with it.<br /><br /></span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">25 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">4 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17124271-clara" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Clara." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1568418403i/17124271._UY200_CR2,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17124271-clara">Clara</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>68 reviews</span><span><span>11 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars 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class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Este es uno de los libros más bellos que he leído. Si bien la mayoría de las reflexiones prefiero dejarlas para mí, lo cierto es que me dejó conturbada a veces, pero sobre todo muy conmovida. Es una historia mágica pero muy real que va sobre aquello que nos hacemos a nosotros mismos y cómo nuestras propias murallas nos limitan en la vida. En la historia el protagonista crea una ciudad donde se refugia, donde viven o él o su sombra (no se sabe) y el tiempo no existe. Esa ciudad tiene un profundo significado emocional y filosófico. Al final te quedas pensando ¿qué es la vida? ¿A qué vinimos? ¿De qué nos sirve vivir sin un propósito? ¿ Pero sobre todo, cuál es el papel del amor en nuestras vidas? La recomiendo plenamente, tiene una estructura impecable y se lee fácilmente. </span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">25 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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read a new one that feels like it was written by an imitator copying his past works.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">23 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/149931840-marion" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Marion." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1679211693i/149931840._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/149931840-marion">Marion</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>184 reviews</span><span><span>16 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 4 out of 5" role="img" 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1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined0small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined0small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6162491134">August 30, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Eine unerfüllte Jugendliebe über 630 Seiten und durch mögliche Realität und Fantasiestadt.<br />Ein namenloser Ich-Erzähler und einige durchaus interessante Nebenfiguren. Eher schlichte Symbolik und sprachlich zwischen gestelzt und ja, ebenfalls schlicht. <br />Konfettihafte Einstreuung von literarischen, musikalischen und philosophischen Andeutungen. <br />Andeutungen sind das Stichwort, das Buch besteht für mich aus Andeutungen und erreicht mich nur an wenigen Stellen in der Tiefe.<br />Ich weiß nicht so recht, das Buch hat mich unterhalten aber gibt es mir etwas mit? <br />Nun ja, ich weiß nun, dass ich irgendwann als Geist mit den mir nachfolgenden Bibliothekaren Tee trinken werde… </span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">23 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">1 comment</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/47252189-viviane" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Viviane." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1714897157i/47252189._UX200_CR0,1,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/47252189-viviane">Viviane</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>52 reviews</span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars RatingStars__small"><span 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class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">At the beginning of the book I compared it to Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the world, but over time it became its counterpart. I feel like everyone can get something out of this story. Most of it is about overcoming ... something. This can be whatever you want it to be. It mirrors what you believe. <br /> <br />It's unbelievably well written and thought out. I'd even say it's Murakamis best work yet, and I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing he wrote. It feels so much like the culmination of all the books he ever wrote, all of his obscure wisdom packed into 600+ pages. And he is - to me - a literal genius. He combines the pain of the human condition, the mystery of conciousness, heartbreak and loss into a story, and makes you feel like you're living through all of it upon reading. It's metaphorical, it's magical, it's wise, it's - above all - deeply comforting. I loved it. Of course.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47252189?shelf=favorites" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">favorites</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">20 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">4 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/98489178-ali-book-world" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Ali Book World." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1675695762i/98489178._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/98489178-ali-book-world">Ali Book World</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>411 reviews</span><span><span>210 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 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2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">این کتاب همه‌چی تمومه!<br />عشق، دوستی، راز، توهم، خیال، معما و هرچیزی که فکرشو بکنید داره.<br />دنیا و قوانین شهر محصور در دیوارها یکی از متفاوت‌ترین و جذاب‌ترین قوانینی بود که توی کتاب‌ها میتونید بخونید! (البت�� کاملش در کتاب "سرزمین عجایب بیرجم و ته دنیا" گفته میشه)... خیلی خیلی بیشتر و زیاد میشه راجع به این موضوع حرف زد اما اگه خودتون بخونید بیشتر لذت میبرید.<br />دلم برای قلم جذاب و عجیب و پر از راز موراکامی تنگ شده بود. خط به خط این کتاب فوق‌العاده ست!</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">18 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--transparent Button--medium Button--rounded" aria-label="More options, Menu pop up"><span class="Button__labelItem"><i class="Icon MoreIcon"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M6,10 C7.1045695,10 8,10.8954305 8,12 C8,13.1045695 7.1045695,14 6,14 C4.8954305,14 4,13.1045695 4,12 C4,10.8954305 4.8954305,10 6,10 Z M12,10 C13.1045695,10 14,10.8954305 14,12 C14,13.1045695 13.1045695,14 12,14 C10.8954305,14 10,13.1045695 10,12 C10,10.8954305 10.8954305,10 12,10 Z M18,10 C19.1045695,10 20,10.8954305 20,12 C20,13.1045695 19.1045695,14 18,14 C16.8954305,14 16,13.1045695 16,12 C16,10.8954305 16.8954305,10 18,10 Z"></path></svg></i></span></button></div></div></div></footer><hr class="Divider Divider--mediumMargin" role="presentation"/></section></article></div><div><article class="ReviewCard" aria-label="Review by Lisa of Troy"><div class="ReviewCard__profile"><div class="ReviewerProfile ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/124132123-lisa-of-troy" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Lisa of Troy." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1695303779i/124132123._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/124132123-lisa-of-troy">Lisa of Troy</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>798 reviews</span><span><span>6,711 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><b>Want to read</b></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7018134759">November 19, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">I've never read Murakami but I have serious FOMO so I ordered a copy.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">18 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div 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class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--transparent Button--medium Button--rounded" aria-label="More options, Menu pop up"><span class="Button__labelItem"><i class="Icon MoreIcon"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M6,10 C7.1045695,10 8,10.8954305 8,12 C8,13.1045695 7.1045695,14 6,14 C4.8954305,14 4,13.1045695 4,12 C4,10.8954305 4.8954305,10 6,10 Z M12,10 C13.1045695,10 14,10.8954305 14,12 C14,13.1045695 13.1045695,14 12,14 C10.8954305,14 10,13.1045695 10,12 C10,10.8954305 10.8954305,10 12,10 Z M18,10 C19.1045695,10 20,10.8954305 20,12 C20,13.1045695 19.1045695,14 18,14 C16.8954305,14 16,13.1045695 16,12 C16,10.8954305 16.8954305,10 18,10 Z"></path></svg></i></span></button></div></div></div></footer><hr class="Divider Divider--mediumMargin" role="presentation"/></section></article></div><div><article class="ReviewCard" aria-label="Review by Tony"><div class="ReviewCard__profile"><div class="ReviewerProfile ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33771-tony" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Tony." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1292869016i/33771._UY200_CR49,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33771-tony">Tony</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>981 reviews</span><span><span>1,771 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 4 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars 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1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined0small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined0small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7025236006">November 27, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">Don't read Murakami for the plot. There's a story (or stories), of course, and stuff happens. But I know going in there will be no epilogue, no tidy resolution. Nor is there definitional character development. Even the narrating protagonist will remain elusively vague. And the author does not use the format to preach some thematic issue. Instead, Murakami will eventually find some portal to take things into the surreal. <i>Is there really something like a wall separating reality from the unreal?</i> He does not insist that you come along. <br /><br />But I did. <br /><br />It took me awhile, actually, to get invested in this one, maybe a good hundred pages. When the protagonist enters the eponymous City, <b>and hangs up his shadow</b>, I hung up my grip on reality. There were clocks with no hands (I got that) and roaming herds of unicorns (?). The protagonist has a very important job there: to read dreams. Everyone is pleased with his work, although he never seemed to articulate what any dream meant. Back in reality, the protagonist chats with a dead person, a ghost. The ghost has some answers, but not all of them.<br /><br />The one character in the novel who seemed closest to understanding things was, oddly, a kind of autistic, <i>Rain Man</i>-y teenage boy. He does not engage socially. Instead, he reads all day long, memorizing every word. Infrequently, and selectively, he will approach someone and ask their birthdate, as he did with the protagonist (and one other character). You're a <i>Wednesday's Child</i>, the boy immediately replied. You know, from the nursery rhyme, <i>full of woe</i>, but interpreted to mean empathetic. I was intrigued by this when I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6330459628#comment_list" rel="nofollow noopener">Paul Secor's review</a>, before I even started reading the book. Paul's a Wednesday Child, as is Fionnuala. Kinder people do not exist. Murakami's a Wednesday Child as well. Of course I had to find out, and asked Google what day of the week I was born. <i>Wednesday</i>. So I get to join the club, deserved or not. (No other member of my family was born on a Wednesday, by the way.) In a novel that shifts back and forth from surrealism to, well, not quite realism, that has to mean something, doesn't it? Or, as Paul correctly said, maybe not. In fact, everything in this novel may mean something, or not.<br /><br />For instance, and lastly:<br /><br />You can't have a Murakami novel without musical references. They are often very rewarding. It took awhile, but eventually the protagonist starts to go to a coffee shop where some obscure jazz piece is always playing. He can usually identify the work, even the musicians. The only classical piece the protagonist hears is an unspecified Alexander Borodin quartet. This gets our protagonist thinking about <i>The Russian Five</i>, of whom Borodin was a member. He recalls two others - Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov - right away, but can't think of the other two. A little later, he hears a voice: <i>Balakirev</i>. That's four. But he never comes up with the fifth (César Cui, I googled again). That might mean something. Then again it might not.<br /><br /></span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33771?shelf=japanese" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">japanese</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">17 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">2 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6868207-mau-maponto-lee" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for Mau (Maponto Lee)." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1694736587i/6868207._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6868207-mau-maponto-lee">Mau (Maponto Lee)</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>357 reviews</span><span><span>111 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span aria-label="Rating 5 out of 5" role="img" class="RatingStars RatingStars__small"><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 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0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span><span class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><path class="RatingStar__fill" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6658481181">July 29, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">En "La Ciudad y sus Muros Inciertos", Haruki Murakami teje una narrativa envolvente que explora los confines de la realidad y la imaginación. La historia sigue a un hombre que, tras recibir una misteriosa llamada, se ve arrastrado a una ciudad enigmática y laberíntica, cuyos muros parecen estar en constante cambio. A medida que intenta descifrar el propósito de su viaje, se encuentra con personajes peculiares y situaciones surrealistas que desafían su percepción del mundo.<br /><br />El personaje principal, cuyo nombre no se menciona, es un hombre común atrapado en una situación extraordinaria. Es introspectivo, curioso y decidido a entender la naturaleza de la ciudad y su propio propósito en ella. A lo largo de la novela, su carácter evoluciona de alguien incrédulo y confundido a una figura más decidida y con mayor comprensión de sí mismo y de su entorno.<br /><br />También tenemos a una mujer misteriosa, una enigmática figura femenina que parece saber más de lo que revela. Es encantadora y ambigua, proporcionando pistas al protagonista mientras mantiene un aire de misterio. Su motivación y conexión con la ciudad son elementos centrales que se desvelan gradualmente, añadiendo capas de complejidad a la trama.<br /><br />Y junto a ellos, está el Guardián de la Ciudad, un personaje crucial que representa la autoridad y el conocimiento dentro de la ciudad. Sus interacciones con el protagonista son esenciales para la progresión de la historia y la comprensión del entorno en el que se encuentra.<br /><br />La novela se cuenta en tres partes. La primera se basa en un cuento de Murakami de 1980 con el mismo título, que él consideraba un trabajo fallido y esperaba retomar algún día. En ella, un narrador masculino busca a una novia de su adolescencia y se mueve entre el mundo real y una ciudad fantástica rodeada por un muro muy alto. En la segunda parte, el protagonista deja su trabajo para trabajar en la biblioteca de una nueva ciudad, y en la tercera parte, la historia regresa a la ciudad amurallada. Una ciudad con un muro alto también aparece en la célebre "El Fin del Mundo y un Despiadado País de las Maravillas" de Murakami, publicada en 1985. <br /><br />Esta novela explora temas como la dualidad de la realidad y la imaginación, la búsqueda de identidad, y la naturaleza de los sueños y la memoria. Murakami investiga cómo las personas lidian con lo desconocido y cómo la percepción puede moldear la realidad. Los muros de la ciudad simbolizan las barreras mentales y emocionales que enfrentamos. La ciudad misma es una metáfora de la mente humana, con sus rincones oscuros y sus áreas iluminadas por la comprensión y el conocimiento. Los motivos recurrentes de puertas y pasadizos representan oportunidades y desafíos en la búsqueda del autoconocimiento.<br /><br />La habilidad de Murakami para crear una atmósfera envolvente y sus descripciones vívidas son puntos fuertes del libro. La estructura de la narrativa, que mezcla realidad y fantasía de manera coherente, es otro aspecto destacado. La profundidad de los personajes y la exploración de temas universales aportan riqueza a la novela. Sin embargo, la falta de respuestas claras y la ambigüedad intencionada pueden resultar frustrantes para aquellos que prefieren conclusiones más definitivas.<br /><br />Esta obra puede compararse con otras novelas de Murakami como "Kafka en la Orilla" y "Crónica del Pájaro que da Cuerda al Mundo", que también exploran la intersección entre lo real y lo fantástico. En términos de estilo y temas, también recuerda a autores como Franz Kafka y Gabriel García Márquez.<br /><br />"La Ciudad y sus Muros Inciertos" es una obra fascinante y compleja que invita al lector a un viaje introspectivo y surrealista, mostrando la maestría de Murakami en la creación de mundos oníricos y en la exploración de la mente humana.<br /><br />Reseña completa sin spoilers en mi canal de YouTube ➡ <b>Maponto Lee</b> 📚 <a href="https://youtu.be/7kbWKf3Os8w" rel="nofollow noopener">Link aquí!</a></span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6868207?shelf=literary" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">literary</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">17 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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class="baseClass RatingStar--small"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" role="presentation"><defs><clipPath id="clip_RatingStar_undefined-1small"><path d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></clipPath><path id="path_RatingStar_undefined-1small" d="M24 9.63469C24 9.35683 23.7747 9.13158 23.4969 9.13158H15.0892L12.477 1.34327C12.4269 1.19375 12.3095 1.0764 12.16 1.02625C11.8966 0.937894 11.6114 1.07983 11.523 1.34327L8.91088 9.13158H0.503157C0.33975 9.13158 0.186521 9.21094 0.0922364 9.3444C-0.0680877 9.57134 -0.0140806 9.88529 0.212865 10.0456L7.00408 14.8432L4.40172 22.6166C4.35092 22.7683 4.37534 22.9352 4.46749 23.066C4.6275 23.2932 4.94137 23.3476 5.16853 23.1876L12 18.3758L18.8317 23.183C18.9625 23.2751 19.1293 23.2994 19.281 23.2486C19.5445 23.1604 19.6865 22.8752 19.5983 22.6117L16.996 14.8432L23.7872 10.0456C23.9206 9.95133 24 9.7981 24 9.63469Z"></path></defs><use clip-path="url(#clip_RatingStar_undefined-1small)" href="#path_RatingStar_undefined-1small" class="RatingStar__backgroundFill"></use><path class="RatingStar__fill"></path></svg></span></span></div><span class="Text Text__body3"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6153905206">April 12, 2024</a></span></section><section class="ReviewText"><section class="ReviewText__content" dir="auto"><div class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">No es fácil. Es Murakami y cuenta con mi amor incondicional.<br /><br />No es tan simple hacer una reseña de este libro porque es extraño, como todo lo que él escribe, porque me mantuvo a la espera, siempre a la espera de esas respuestas que de antemano sabía que no llegarían, porque no me defrauda en el sentido de que temía que no apareciera <br />el gato<br />la música<br />el amor<br />la muerte<br />el jazz<br /><br />y todos esos elementos están ahí.<br />Pero....<br />En sí sus trayectos son los importantes y los finales, lo de menos, y en este caso creo que ocurre al revés: el trayecto fue, si bien, interesante, sombrío, enigmático, la mayor parte del tiempo, no tan apasionante como lo fueron otros trayectos que hemos caminado de la mano, me mantuvo atenta y un poco aburrida. Odié su nuevo estilo de repetir y repetir lo que uno lee como si fuera disléxico.<br />Al final, del que no me esperaba nada, me gusta, me deja pensar y soñar y tratar de ver si hay que entender y si vale la pena el esfuerzo.<br /><br />Pero si lo que debo decir es que me gustó o no, creo que no mucho, la verdad, es de los pocos libros de Murakami que no lo odio pero no me gusta como lo hubiera deseado.<br /><br />Lo anterior fue por tratar de hacerle justicia pero no sé si la merezca.<br /><br />Lástima. <br />Lo que no elimino de mis emociones fue el orgullo de estar leyéndolo. Como si fuera mi papá. </span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">16 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">2 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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ReviewerProfile--medium"><section class="ReviewerProfile__avatar"><a class="Avatar Avatar--medium" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66432581-spillingthematcha" tabindex="0"><img data-testid="image" class="Avatar__image" alt="Profile Image for spillingthematcha." src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1728230879i/66432581._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg"/></a></section><section class="ReviewerProfile__info"><span class="Text Text__title4"><div data-testid="name" class="ReviewerProfile__name"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66432581-spillingthematcha">spillingthematcha</a></div></span><span class="Text Text__body3 Text__subdued"><div class="ReviewerProfile__meta"><span>726 reviews</span><span><span>1,044 followers</span></span></div></span></section><div data-testid="follow" class="ReviewerProfile__follow"></div></div></div><section class="ReviewCard__content"><section class="ReviewCard__row"><div class="ShelfStatus"><span 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class="TruncatedContent" tabindex="-1"><div class="TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large" tabindex="-1" data-testid="contentContainer"><span class="Formatted">„Miasto i jego nieuchwytny Mur” to niewątpliwie jedna z najbardziej surrealistycznych książek, przesiąknięta realizmem magicznym, którą napisał Haruki Murakami. Tuż obok takich książek jak dwutomowa powieść „Śmierć Komandora” czy „Kafka nad morzem” dość nieoczekiwanie zachwyciła mnie swoją niepewnością oraz oniryzmem. <br />•<br />Główny bohater zauroczony nową poznaną dziewczyną zaczyna poznawać historię tajemniczego Miasta, którego mieszkańcy pozbawieni są Cieni. Ich pełne spokoju i harmonii życie owiane jest jednak wielką pustką. W tej powieści splatają się nie tylko dwa światy - rzeczywisty oraz ten pełen snów, ale jednocześnie czytelnik ma do czynienia z namacalną i angażującą fabułą, z niezwykle skreślonym porterem miasta w tle. Jest w niej coś przyciągającego, niemal hipnotyzującego, co sprawia że trudno oderwać się od lektury. Niezmiennie podtrzymuje, że autor ten spełnia się najlepiej wykorzystując realizm magiczny w swoich książkach, bogato budując świat przedstawiony, choć w tym przypadku nie unikając niewielkiego chaosu. Gęsta, mglista, wymagająca lektura, zacierająca granice ludzkiego postrzegania i tożsamości, a co więcej przepełniona metaforami już od pierwszych stron.</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">15 likes</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. 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the world outside the wall, you loved my shadow.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo enter the space of a Haruki Murakami novel is to pass into a realm adjacent to our own, one teeming with possibility as the familiar and unfamiliar commingle in an ephemeral elegance. ‘\u003ci\u003eI no longer possessed a set standard with which to determine what was real,\u003c/i\u003e’ the nameless narrator of Murakami’s \u003ci\u003eThe City and It’s Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e considers because, eventually, the distinctions between the familiar and unfamiliar, or between reality and unreality, aren’t just blurred together as much as such differentiation becomes beside the point. It is this vague realm full of wonderment and whimsicality that serves as a catalyst for introspective investigations, coupled with his soothing narrative voice and infectious imagination, that I find utterly irresistible and am frequently returning to his stories as a source of comfort and awe. \u003ci\u003eThe City and It’s Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is a story about such realms separated by—you guessed it!—an uncertain wall of sorts, made up of many stories within and all housed together between the covers not unlike the way the two libraries central to the novel are home to a vast collection of stories themselves, one stocked with books, the other with dreams. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese stories continually inform each other from opposite sides of the veil where ‘\u003ci\u003eeverything is overwritten, renewed,\u003c/i\u003e’ not unlike the existence of this book itself. While it is his latest work, published in Japan in 2023 as 街とその不確かな壁 and released in an English translation by \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/403782.Philip_Gabriel\" title=\"Philip Gabriel\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ePhilip Gabriel\u003c/a\u003e in 2024, \u003ci\u003eThe City and It’s Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e originated as an early, novella length story printed in the literary magazine \u003ci\u003eBungakukai\u003c/i\u003e in 1980 but never published in book form. It formed the basis of \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/27216148.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World\" title=\"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/a\u003e and was rewritten and significantly expanded during the social separations of the COVID-19 pandemic (which informs many thematic elements here) to create a novel contrasting the world inside and outside the walls and a present haunted by the past for both the narrator and the author. While the novel as a whole doesn’t quite hold up to its impressive first part and some of the fairly problematic aspects of Murakami’s works are still present, it is still a delight to pass through. A fantastical and fascinating page-turner of a quiet novel with a deep love for libraries at its heart, \u003ci\u003eThe City and It’s Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is a story of love and loss, a story of the self and our shadows, a ghost story, a story of our endless search for meaning amidst chaos and confusion and a story about the stories we tell to better understand our own story. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eIs this world inside the high brick wall? Or outside it?\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLate in the novel, the proprietor of the coffee shop frequented by our narrator observes while reading \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/9712.Love_in_the_Time_of_Cholera\" title=\"Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eLove in the Time of Cholera\u003c/a\u003e by \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/13450.Gabriel_Garc_a_M_rquez\" title=\"Gabriel García Márquez\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eGabriel García Márquez\u003c/a\u003e that his method of incorporating magical elements ‘\u003ci\u003emight fit the critical criteria of magical realism, for García Márquez himself it’s just ordinary realism. In the world he inhabits the real and the unreal coexist.\u003c/i\u003e’ While the narrator processes this discussion in context of his own ineffable disorientation where ‘\u003ci\u003ethe real and the unreal coexist,\u003c/i\u003e’ it can also be interpreted as Murakami offering a comparative explanation to how ‘\u003ci\u003ethe real and the unreal are equivalent\u003c/i\u003e’ in his own work. ‘\u003ci\u003eI was starting to have a hard time judging what was weird and what was not,\u003c/i\u003e’ the narrator tells us but once the boundaries between the two have dissolved, the opportunity for deeper insights on the self, the human condition or even reality itself arises ‘\u003ci\u003elike the dawn arriving and sunshine streaming through the window.\u003c/i\u003e’ As Murakami writes in \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/17801.Underground_The_Tokyo_Gas_Attack_and_the_Japanese_Psyche\" title=\"Underground The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eUnderground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche\u003c/a\u003e, ‘\u003ci\u003ereality is created out of confusion and contradiction, and if you exclude those elements, you’re no longer talking about reality\u003c/i\u003e’ and so we find in his works that life tends to reveal itself best through these abstract angles. Though confusion certainly abounds here as well with two frames of reality colliding amidst disappearing first loves, a library of dreams, a city population stripped of their shadows, and a host of ghosts that all send us spiraling through the narrative. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eTruth is not found in fixed stillness, but in ceaseless change and movement. Isn’t this the quintessential core of what stories are all about?\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are a multitude of plot threads woven together here and while some are tightly knotted—such as the past and present in part one—others drift away into irresolution. I find the latter to be some of his most charming elements and little asides such as the story of the nightly visits from a ghost who only reveals one side of her face to a wounded soldier tend to be amongst his most memorable bits in his novels that still function as thematic texture despite the lack of conclusive story. In the book \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/49832232.Who_We_re_Reading_When_We_re_Reading_Murakami\" title=\"Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami by David Karashima\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eWho We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami\u003c/a\u003e, an early interview finds Murakami troubled by the hefty edits of his early works, sometimes a full hundred pages being cut as is the case in \u003ci\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland\u003c/i\u003e (an \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/798153/end-of-the-world-and-hard-boiled-wonderland-by-haruki-murakami-translated-by-jay-rubin/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eunabridged retranslation\u003c/a\u003e from \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/7306.Jay_Rubin\" title=\"Jay Rubin\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eJay Rubin\u003c/a\u003e will be published in a few weeks), expressing a sadness that he feels Western audiences tend to require resolution in order to value a plotline instead of seeing them as thematic notes in a larger orchestration. This is key as Murakami claims his writing style and structure was something he ‘\u003ci\u003elearned from music.\u003c/i\u003e’ In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/books/review/Murakami-t.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003e2007 essay \u003ci\u003eJazz Messenger\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e (translated by \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/7306.Jay_Rubin\" title=\"Jay Rubin\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eJay Rubin\u003c/a\u003e) he says that his writing tends to be based in the ideas of the ‘\u003ci\u003efree improvisation\u003c/i\u003e’ he finds in jazz music:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eI never plan. I never know what the next page is going to be. Many people don't believe me. But that's the fun of writing a novel or a story, because I don't know what's going to happen next. I'm searching for melody after melody.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome readers may find this cumbersome or aimless but, as the mysterious stranger in the story \u003ci\u003eCream\u003c/i\u003e from \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3844526215\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eFirst Person Singular\u003c/a\u003e explains while detailing an impossible object, ‘\u003ci\u003ethere’s no need to know what it’s all about\u003c/i\u003e’ and Murakami’s work is about abstraction and emotion, not one-to-one metaphors and tidy explanations. But despite the abstract nature and his storytelling tending towards the surreal, his prose is often rather succinct, simple and direct in a way that makes it effortlessly engaging. Midway through \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e, the narrator describes his spring coat in a way that reminds me of his prose: ‘\u003ci\u003ea worn-out coat someone had probably worn for years but, oddly enough, fit like a bespoke jacket.\u003c/i\u003e’ Its basic and well trodden, especially at this point in his career, but bears an ineffable magic that might not seem like much to an outsider but for those who love to be engulfed in his works it is incredibly comfortable and cozy. It is also a warm familiarity and I find that Murakami’s works are like jazz in the sense that they function as different variations on the same set of signature themes. In the novel’s afterword he writes:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eAs Jorge Luis Borges put it, there are basically a limited number of stories one writer can seriously relate in his lifetime. All we do—I think it’s fair to say—is take that limited palette of motifs, change the approach and methods as we go, and rewrite them in all sorts of ways.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis seems pertinent for this novel especially since it is framed around a rewrite where \u003ci\u003eHard-Boiled\u003c/i\u003e ‘\u003ci\u003ewas one response to the original story,\u003c/i\u003e’ and this version was set about with the intent of ‘\u003ci\u003ecreating a story that coexisted with [the original], so that the two complemented each other.\u003c/i\u003e’ While admittedly part one (which seems to be the rewrite of the original story) is by far the strongest section of the novel—had he merely published part one as a stand-alone novella I’d be giving this 5 stars and proclaiming it as easily one of his best works—with the rest being engaging but as adrift on the whims of a narrative breeze as leaves swirling in autumnal gusts (not unlike the narrator, to be fair), I did find the juxtaposition of the recent bulk of the work with the tighter early section to be rather thematically successful in the sense that it contrasts the authorial Murakami of memory with the Murakami of the present. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eThere isn’t just \u003c/i\u003eone\u003ci\u003e reality. Reality is something you have to choose by yourself, out of several possible alternatives.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI think \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is a novel that is best read allowing it to flow over and through you instead of trying to grasp a hold of it in order to shake out objective truths and concrete ideas from its pockets. It contains multitudes and those playing Murakami Bingo better get their chips ready because the representation is real with this one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/200883921@N03/54173916650/in/dateposted-public/\" title=\"murakami_bingo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003e\n \u003cimg src=\"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1732981803i/36237711.jpg\" width=\"392\" height=\"400\" alt=\"murakami_bingo\" class=\"gr-hostedUserImg\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd speaking of representation, I absolutely adored the focus on libraries in this book. While I didn’t love the idea of a privately owned library, I do understand why this was necessary for the plot to work and the tenderness for which Murakami addresses the function of libraries as necessary for a community was lovely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eTo create a special, comfortable spot to gather lots of books, and to have many people freely read them—for Mr. Koyasu, that was the ideal world.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe dualities of the rural library and the dream library within the walls, tethered into memory by the dual wood stoves in his offices, is the hinge holding the novel together and all the people in their orbits. We have Yellow Submarine Boy becoming the ‘\u003ci\u003eultimate personal library,\u003c/i\u003e’ through his endless reading of the narrator for whom the library gives a purpose after having been aloof and adrift since the disappearance of the girl he loves during his teenage years. His loneliness in her absence reminds me of part from \u003ca href=\"https://www.nga.gov/stories/hanif-abdurraqib-mwangi-hutter.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003ethe poem \u003ci\u003eOurs To Hold And Caress And Cherish\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e by \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/21162145.Hanif_Abdurraquib\" title=\"Hanif Abdurraquib\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eHanif Abdurraquib\u003c/a\u003e about a ghost haunting his house that reads:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eTo believe in the reality of a single soulmate is to believe that every lonely life exists because someone didn’t travel towards someone else. A child dies somewhere and then, decades later, someone lives a series of unsatisfied days. Watches the game shows alone \u0026amp; goes to bed early, each day its own small apocalyptic orchestra of near-silence…it is like being held, in this way, by a lover from a world that has already ended. A different lover for every reflection in the room. And yet, when I wake, someone I loved once is still alive, somewhere else.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ghosts of the past propel the narrative here, as well as people who, like the girl, feel they are not truly living but the shadow of their real self who resides in the mysterious city behind the walls. ‘\u003ci\u003eMy real self — the real me — is in a town far away, living a completely different life,\u003c/i\u003e’ she tells him not long before she ‘\u003ci\u003edisappears. Literally, like smoke vanishing.\u003c/i\u003e’ And so to this town he must finally go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eI was so taken by you, I thought of nothing else when awake. You haunted my dreams, as well.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMuch of the book concerns the aspect that unreality is just as real as reality—the pain from a dream might not be real but it hurts all the same—and gives us an understanding that emotions are the core of life. Even if not grounded in reality, they still inform upon our thoughts and actions. The titular city is a place where ‘\u003ci\u003efeelings are not just useless but harmful. Like \u003c/i\u003eseeds\u003ci\u003e of an epidemic\u003c/i\u003e’ as the narrator’s shadow (who must be removed in order for him to enter) theorizes. I really enjoyed how this place was a ‘\u003ci\u003eworld of made-up stories and contradictions,\u003c/i\u003e’ that was created by the stories of a 16 year old girl. It reminds me of the bonkers inner logic of the Ghibli film \u003ca href=\"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Returns\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eThe Cat Returns\u003c/a\u003e, also a world that exists in the imagination of a teenage author. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut is it real? Does that even matter here? ‘\u003ci\u003eConsciousness is the brain’s self-awareness of its own physical state,\u003c/i\u003e’ a character states and if you're aware of yourself in the context of this world, who is to say it isn’t real for you. Such realms can be a comfort for those who don’t fit in with the “real” world. Like in \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/10357575.1Q84__1Q84___1_3_\" title=\"1Q84 (1Q84, #1-3) by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e1Q84\u003c/a\u003e when Aomame expresses ‘\u003ci\u003eEither I’m funny or the world’s funny. I don’t know which. The bottle and lid don’t fit,\u003c/i\u003e’ sometimes you have to create a world in which you fit. Similarly, concrete explanations of the girl disappearing or possible health conditions are beside the point as it is the emotional resonance that tells the story (which, okay, not exactly great her life is relegated to being the emotional texture for the male narrator’s story). Either way, reality is secondary to the ennui driving the narrative.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eThe you who lives here doesn’t dream, and doesn’t love anyone.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne can read a lot of dynamic metaphors in the city and its walls, such as the pandemic isolation conditions that led to the creation of the novel. Murakami confirms this in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/23/haruki-murakami-my-books-have-been-criticised-so-much-over-the-years-i-dont-pay-much-attention\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003einterview with \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e’\u003ci\u003eThe situation of the town surrounded by walls was also a metaphor of the worldwide lockdown. How is it possible for both extreme isolation and warm feelings of empathy to coexist?\u003c/i\u003e’\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis works often probe the human consciousness in the wake of disaster (think \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/11299.After_the_Quake\" title=\"After the Quake by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAfter the Quake\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/17801.Underground_The_Tokyo_Gas_Attack_and_the_Japanese_Psyche\" title=\"Underground The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eUnderground\u003c/a\u003e) and so, too, we find many references to national tragedies. The library found in the Fukushima prefecture, the snow falling like ash, or the shadows left behind after death that recall the shadows after the atomic bomb. There is a lot of rather haunting, poignant imagery like the clock with no hands in the city without time. Mechanical clocks arrived in Japan during the Edo Period, marking a change from the previous \u003ca href=\"https://www.jcwa.or.jp/en/etc/wadokei.html#:~:text=The%20temporal%20hour%20system%20was,times%20of%20the%20rat%2Fbull.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003etemporal system of time\u003c/a\u003e and were often \u003ca href=\"https://www.proquest.com/docview/234912333?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eused symbolically in the arts during this period\u003c/a\u003e as a metaphor for the hidden intricacy of the human heart. This is certainly keeping with the novel’s themes. In her book \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/93258.Clock_Without_Hands\" title=\"Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eClock Without Hands\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/3506.Carson_McCullers\" title=\"Carson McCullers\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eCarson McCullers\u003c/a\u003e describes a terminally ill character as ‘\u003ci\u003ea man watching a clock without hands,\u003c/i\u003e’ symbolizing his lack of control but also, in the larger context of the story, a sense of uncertainty, change and the ‘\u003ci\u003emysterious drama\u003c/i\u003e’ of the human condition, not unlike here as well. ‘\u003ci\u003eHow can the dead be truly dead when they are still walking in my heart?\u003c/i\u003e’ a character asks, and here too we find that the memory of a person often makes them just as alive as their flesh and blood self. Or more alive, as is the case of the eternally 16 year old girl inside the walls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eSomething kept us apart—something impenetrable, something like, for instance, a high brick wall.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are some less than flattering depictions in this novel—while it isn’t intended as trans representation, the discussions on a character wearing a skirt might raise some eyebrows even though its clear Murakami isn’t intending it as negative—and some of the late metaphors for the impenetrable wall are a bit odd. Murakami detractors will not be won over by this novel, but all in all it is still a fun and thought provoking ride. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003ci\u003eA person’s consciousness is the same as a glacier…most of it is hidden, unseen, sunk in a dark place.\u003c/i\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eBooks and doors are the same thing,\u003c/i\u003e’ wrote \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/9399.Jeanette_Winterson\" title=\"Jeanette Winterson\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eJeanette Winterson\u003c/a\u003e, ‘\u003ci\u003eyou open them, and you go through into another world,\u003c/i\u003e’ and to open a Murakami book is to open a unique door into a realm of thoughtful whimsicality. I had a blast with \u003ci\u003eThe City and Its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e and found it to read like the classic Murakami works that made me fall in love with his novels to begin with. An interesting look at how reality and unreality can coexist amidst a yearning tale of love and self-discovery, this was a wild ride from start to finish. Imperfect, yet perfectly lovable all the same.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.5/5\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eLike the crew of a sinking sailboat clinging to the mast, maybe we are only capable of clinging, desperately, to one reality. Whether we like it or not.\u003cbr\u003eBut how much do we know about the secret, dark labyrinth of a river that flows underneath us, below the solid ground we stand on? How many have actually seen it and, having seen it, could make it back to the other side?\u003c/i\u003e’","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"murakami","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=murakami"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"magical","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=magical"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"library","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=library"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"ghosts","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=ghosts"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"fun","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6431467?shelf=fun"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6319776088"},"likeCount":343,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":55},"User:59050228":{"id":59050228,"__typename":"User","legacyId":59050228,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1634545742i/59050228._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":1824,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Meike","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59050228-meike","contributor":null,"followersCount":4208},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1._Crhz79m6BWqD8j_nMrXJQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1._Crhz79m6BWqD8j_nMrXJQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:59050228"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733216654266,"createdAt":1704727995273,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1705642822755,"text":"\u003cb\u003eEnglish (currently being translated): \"The City and Its Uncertain Walls\"\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami just turned 75, and his new novel is a full-on firework of references to his literary legacy as well as to monoliths of international fiction by other authors. Based on a short story of the same title he wrote 40 years ago and that was published in a literary magazine, \"The City...\" is a counterpart to \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/10374.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World\" title=\"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/a\u003e, the latter also already being inspired by aforementioned story. Murakami explains that he has always been bothered by the fact that he felt that the original 100-page-version didn't achieve the narrative's full potential, so his new work is his attempt to doing the source material justice. And oh boy, this is certainly the murakami-est Murakami book to ever grace the canon of Murakami (and if you enjoy playing the infamous Murakami motif bingo, you'll be delighted). \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur unnamed protagonist is a 45-year-old, unmarried man who is still grieving his first love who, when they were 16 and 17 respectively, suddenly disappeared. Together, they had been imagining their own city behind a wall, and the girl had proclaimed that this is where her true self resides. Through magical circumstances, the now older protagonist actually makes it into this counter-world, where the (still 16-year-old) girl works in a library that archives dreams and cannot recognize him. He becomes a professional dream-reader, but then decides to help his shadow leave the counter-world: To overcome the wall, a person has to separate from their shadow and let it die behind the walls, which the protagonist cannot bring himself to do. Back in the other, real (?) world, lonely and sad, the protagonist takes a job in a remote village in Fukushima as a librarian, where a mysterious young savant and a ghostly old bookworm might help him cross the wall again...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat the wall, the city, and the shadow stand for is the main concern of the text itself: Physical being and shadow as the separation of body and consciousness, but they might turn out to be inseparable and thus interchangeable (or alter ego variations of the self), the city as a manifestation of the subconscious, of wishes, of stories or even (hey, it's also a künstlerroman) literature becoming reality. And then the wall: It moves on its own accord, thus exercising the power to decide where one world starts or the other ends - or even proclaiming that it can't really be overcome, that there is no separation where we expect it to be.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe core reference here is \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/13450.Gabriel_Garc_a_M_rquez\" title=\"Gabriel García Márquez\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eGabriel García Márquez\u003c/a\u003e: Murakami, the guy who is seen as the master of Japanese magical realism, ponders the power of this literary technique, and thus is own literary convictions, by declaring - and this is fascinating - that for Marquez, there is no separation between reality and the fantastical in his own surroundings, thus that he is more of a chronicler than a fiction writer. Much like McCarthy in his latest double feature \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/60526801.The_Passenger__The_Passenger___1_\" title=\"The Passenger (The Passenger, #1) by Cormac McCarthy\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe Passenger\u003c/a\u003e / \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/60526802.Stella_Maris__The_Passenger___2_\" title=\"Stella Maris (The Passenger, #2) by Cormac McCarthy\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eStella Maris\u003c/a\u003e, Murakami investigates whether our imagination, conscious and subconscious, isn't just as powerful and real as the world around us. The largest parts of the book hence take place in libraries recording human consciousness and subconsciousness, and the condition of the savant points to \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/500.Jorge_Luis_Borges\" title=\"Jorge Luis Borges\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eJorge Luis Borges\u003c/a\u003e' \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/52766691.Funes__the_Memorious\" title=\"Funes, the Memorious by Jorge Luis Borges\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eFunes, the Memorious\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can also go ahead and find all kinds of other novels by Murakami in this tome, from \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/11297.Norwegian_Wood\" title=\"Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c/a\u003e over \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/4929.Kafka_on_the_Shore\" title=\"Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eKafka on the Shore\u003c/a\u003e to \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/41022133.Colorless_Tsukuru_Tazaki_and_His_Years_of_Pilgrimage\" title=\"Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eColorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage\u003c/a\u003e, you can reference \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/314999.Adelbert_von_Chamisso\" title=\"Adelbert von Chamisso\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAdelbert von Chamisso\u003c/a\u003e and all kinds of fairy tales. But the fun of this of course way too long, but wonderfully flowing, entertaining and mesmerizing novel is to track everything to the philosophical context that reflects questions of consciousness and imagination. Why is the counter-world more bleak than the real world? Why is the remote village in Fukushima? Why do unicorns die so humans don't have to? Does the writer Murakami actually live in a subconscious city behind a wall, and the guy we see is just his ghost? This book offers a story and ideas to discuss with other book enthusiasts. \u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/644381.Ursula_Gr_fe\" title=\"Ursula Gräfe\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eUrsula Gräfe\u003c/a\u003e's translation into German is as flawless as usual, and have linked our (much deeper) discussion on the podcast (feat. Ursula) here: \u003ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https://papierstaupodcast.de/allgemein/folge-290\"\u003ehttps://papierstaupodcast.de/allgemei...\u003c/a\u003e","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/59050228?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"japan","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/59050228?shelf=japan"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6145194134"},"likeCount":249,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":34},"User:167492150":{"id":167492150,"__typename":"User","legacyId":167492150,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1726218326i/167492150._UY200_CR50,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":227,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Taufiq Yves","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/167492150-taufiq-yves","contributor":null,"followersCount":48},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.3cI2QzrbaI0Z1x-w9drPXA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.3cI2QzrbaI0Z1x-w9drPXA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:167492150"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733251494343,"createdAt":1731177713248,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1733225533257,"text":"As a devoted fan of \u003cb\u003eHaruki Murakami\u003c/b\u003e, I was incredibly excited when I heard about his new novel and immediately devoured \u003cb\u003eThe City and Its Uncertain Walls.\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe setting is a small town where everyone lives a peaceful but monotonous life, as if everything were enclosed by an invisible wall. This wall is both a physical barrier and a mental constraint. Everyone’s life is similar, experiencing similar joys and sorrows, but beneath this calm exterior lies a deep sense of uncertainty.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e‘I’ is an ordinary young man who leads a bland existence in the town until one day, he accidentally discovers the mysterious wall. This wall seems to possess a certain magic, allowing people to see the deepest fears and desires of their hearts. He begins to wander before this wall, trying to peer into his own inner world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLater, ‘I’ gradually realizes that this wall is not simply a wall, but rather a representation of people's fear and avoidance of the unknown. In this town, people are afraid of change, afraid of uncertainty, and so they choose to escape, to confine themselves within the walls. However, this escape does not truly solve any problem but instead leads people to lose themselves even more.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo ‘I’ begins to try to break down this wall. He bravely faces his fears and anxieties, striving to find his true self. In this process, he experiences various trials and tribulations, but he never gives up.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThrough this small town and the mysterious wall, \u003cb\u003eMurakami\u003c/b\u003e reveals the complexity of human nature and the true meaning of life. He tells us that facing uncertainty is not scary; what is scary is that we choose to escape. Only by bravely facing our inner selves can we find our true selves.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003eMurakami\u003c/b\u003e’s signature style shines through in this book. I could see echoes of his previous works everywhere: the town and the dream interpreter reminiscent of \u003cb\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c/b\u003e; the library and its stories reminiscent of \u003cb\u003eKafka on the Shore\u003c/b\u003e; the first love of a 16 or 17-year-old reminiscent of \u003cb\u003eSouth of the Border, West of the Sun\u003c/b\u003e; but this time, instead of focusing on external conflicts like assassinating evil, he delves into the depths of his own psyche. Beyond the content, his writing style remains as captivating as ever, and I continue to be drawn to it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile reading, I felt as if I were watching an animated film. A young, inexperienced boy and girl, a complex town initially created as a figment of the imagination, and herds of unicorns with golden fleece - it was like a fantasy anime.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCompared to his previous works, this one feels gentler. I see in it a sense of reconciliation between him and his older self.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e”I took a deep breath and held it for a moment. In those few seconds, countless scenes flooded my mind. All the scenes. I cherished and protected all the scenes, including the scene of the vast ocean under a downpour. But I no longer hesitated. I had no doubts.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI particularly love the ending. I want to interpret it from a perspective that transcends fiction itself. From a certain angle, it can be seen as \u003cb\u003eMurakami\u003c/b\u003e’s farewell, as both a writer and an individual, to his writing career and to life itself (though he's not yet at the end of his life).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen he takes that deep breath, the images that appear in his mind might be a reenactment of his decades - long writing career, or perhaps a reflection of the 70 or 80 years he's lived. Among them are things he cherishes and protects.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e”Believe that your alter ego exists. He will catch you.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe 'alter ego' mentioned in the dialogue could refer to his successors, new writers, perhaps newcomers to literary creation, or even new generations of humanity. In the last possible decade or 2 of his life, \u003cb\u003eMurakami\u003c/b\u003e expresses hope for the future. He believes that after he leaves this world, his literature and other legacies will not disappear. Instead, they will inspire others to create their own works, and his passion, willpower, idealism, imagination, and various emotions will be passed on.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e”Darkness fell. It was an extremely deep and incredibly soft darkness.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe final darkness can be interpreted as his imagination of death. Here, death has lost its terrifying connotations. In a way, death also represents rebirth.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe boy with extraordinary intelligence but no emotions, and 'I,' who is ordinary but has emotions, together form a kind of perfection, an ideal, just like the airtight walls of the town.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe airtight town is our inner town; the ever - changing walls are also our inner walls. In fact, the walls are merely our inner fears. How do we overcome fear? \u003cb\u003eMurakami\u003c/b\u003e provides an answer in this book - belief. The power of belief.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eInside the walls and outside the walls, which is real and which is illusory? It's hard to tell. Which is the true 'I' and which is the shadow? I don't know. But what is certain is that the true 'I' and the shadow must become one. That is the complete 'I,' despite its imperfections. The shadow of the first love separated from the real person and disappeared without a trace, but 'I' can choose to find the other half that makes up 'I'—'I's' physical form or shadow. And how does 'I' find the other half of myself and become a complete 'I'? It is also through belief.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI was reminded of a quote from conversations with Kafka: \u003ci\u003e”Believe in the rational inner connection of all things and all moments, believe that life as a whole will go on forever, believe in the nearest thing and the farthest thing.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis ending is a farewell, a reconciliation, a belief, a legacy, and a hope.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn this novel, I read more of a sense of farewell. \u003cb\u003eMurakami\u003c/b\u003e will definitely continue to write until he's too old, but given his age, how many more new books can we expect from him? But just like him, I'm not a pessimist. I believe in things, I believe in the warm sunshine of tomorrow, and I believe that what he has left to the world will become a seed, that it will survive the bitter cold of winter, and that in spring it will sprout and grow endlessly...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs a longtime fan of Murakami, this book felt like a heartfelt farewell. While I'm sad to see this era of his writing come to a close, I'm grateful for the countless hours of joy and contemplation his works have brought me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThank you so much, my friend.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e5 / 5 stars","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"chinese-translation","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=chinese-translation"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"fav-haruki-murakami","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=fav-haruki-murakami"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"japanese-lit","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/167492150?shelf=japanese-lit"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6991056704"},"likeCount":242,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":66},"User:32879029":{"id":32879029,"__typename":"User","legacyId":32879029,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1520568130i/32879029._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":2305,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"emma","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32879029-emma","contributor":null,"followersCount":76972},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.GqgURZraVpsGilvmGyuqiA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.GqgURZraVpsGilvmGyuqiA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:32879029"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733187392418,"createdAt":1728484222216,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1733009883081,"text":"i haven't read the synopsis of this but i'm going to guess a bumbling man descends into a fantasy version of our own world in which a scary sexy woman becomes obsessed with him\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)","rating":0,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"currently-reading","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=currently-reading"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"tbr-arc","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=tbr-arc"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"tbr-owned","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=tbr-owned"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"non-ya","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=non-ya"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"magical-realist-urban-whatever","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=magical-realist-urban-whatever"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"literary-fiction","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=literary-fiction"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"diverse","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=diverse"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"arc","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=arc"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"authors-of-color","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/32879029?shelf=authors-of-color"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6655570199"},"likeCount":159,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":8},"Contributor:kca://author/amzn1.gr.author.v1.tkYxzHdMSkl-9gVtcLopvQ":{"id":"kca://author/amzn1.gr.author.v1.tkYxzHdMSkl-9gVtcLopvQ","__typename":"Contributor","works":{"__typename":"ContributorWorksConnection","totalCount":6}},"User:26741582":{"id":26741582,"__typename":"User","legacyId":26741582,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1596918213i/26741582._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":true,"textReviewsCount":443,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"John Mauro","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26741582-john-mauro","contributor":{"__ref":"Contributor:kca://author/amzn1.gr.author.v1.tkYxzHdMSkl-9gVtcLopvQ"},"followersCount":821},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.5L2xXrYOJcD81KVm9HNilQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.5L2xXrYOJcD81KVm9HNilQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:26741582"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733035131254,"createdAt":1719182260723,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1719678196297,"text":"My complete review is published at \u003ca href=\"https://beforewegoblog.com/review-the-city-and-its-uncertain-walls-by-haruki-murakami/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eBefore We Go Blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHaruki Murakami’s latest novel, \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e, serves as his love letter to magical realism and the transcendent power of the written word. The novel traces its origin to a short story of the same name, published in a Japanese literary magazine in 1980. Murakami was unsatisfied with the story and never included it in his anthologies. Nevertheless, its main premise of a time-bending alternate reality served as the starting point for one of the two storylines in his 1985 novel, \u003ci\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/i\u003e. However, the original short story still nagged at Murakami, and he decided to return to it decades later as a more mature, experienced writer. Murakami began work on the novelized version of \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e in 2020, forty years after publishing his original short story. The novel became a pandemic project for Murakami, which feels apropos for a story steeped in isolation.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLike many of Murakami’s tales, \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is told from the first-person perspective of an unnamed male protagonist, conventionally known as “Boku,” one of the Japanese words for “I.” The novel begins as a love story between the seventeen-year-old Boku and his schoolmate, a sixteen-year-old girl who seems detached from reality. She tells Boku that her true self is not in this world, but in an alternate plane of existence, working at a library of dreams in a town surrounded by an immensely tall wall. She tells Boku that he can meet her in that world, becoming the Dream Reader at the library, but when they meet she will have no memory of having known him from outside the walls of that world. One day the girl disappears without warning, and Boku can only assume that she has gone to the fantastical library of her dreams.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn the second part of \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e, we follow Boku into his isolated middle-aged existence. Unsatisfied with his career, he quits his job to become the head librarian at a privately endowed library in a rural community, where he starts to form meaningful attachments to other people. Of particular note is an autistic boy who devours books at the library and seems to retain all the information he reads, essentially becoming a library himself. The relationships that Boku forms at the library may also be key for him to understand what happened to the girl who captured his heart as a boy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe fantasy world in \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e will already be familiar to anyone who has read \u003ci\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/i\u003e. It’s a land where unicorns roam the streets and an imposing Gatekeeper forces people to separate from their shadows. While \u003ci\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/i\u003e paid much more attention to the shadows and unicorns, \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is more concerned with the nature of time, which ceases to have any meaning in this parallel world. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAlthough the back-of-the-book blurb describes \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e as “an ode to books and to the libraries that house them,” I believe a more accurate description is that it’s Murakami’s ode to magical realism itself: the coexistence of the real and unreal, the living and the dead, the physical and the metaphysical. As in many of his other novels, Murakami uses magical realism to address the universal human desire for finding deeper meaning in a shallow and uncaring world. Murakami even includes a fitting tip of the hat to Gabriel García Márquez, the late Colombian author who was a pioneer in the magical realism genre.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eReading \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e evokes similar feelings as watching a Hayao Miyazaki movie. Murakami includes several direct references to Miyazaki’s \u003ci\u003eSpirited Away\u003c/i\u003e. But I think the more fitting comparison is with Miyazaki’s last film, \u003ci\u003eThe Boy and the Heron\u003c/i\u003e. As in this final opus from Miyazaki, Murakami is not treading any new ground in \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e. Rather, he distills many of his favorite themes, including loneliness, aging, and the quest for spiritual transcendence, into one career-encompassing story.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe connections to Murakami’s other works are numerous. Given its shared world, Murakami’s latest novel links most closely with \u003ci\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/i\u003e. Both novels start with the same basic idea, but Murakami takes them in two very different directions. \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e lacks the “hard-boiled wonderland” part of his previous work, giving it a more authentic, sentimental feel. As in Murakami’s most popular novel, \u003ci\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e features young love doomed by sudden disappearance. The new novel also includes Murakami’s requisite Beatles reference, this time to “Yellow Submarine.” But the deeply introspective nature of the novel most closely recalls that of his greatest masterpiece, \u003ci\u003eThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\u003c/i\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami’s writing has aged like a fine wine, with eloquent ruminations on the nature of time and memory that recall one of his own literary heroes, the incomparable Marcel Proust. In terms of more recent literature, \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is recommended for fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Book that Wouldn’t Burn\u003c/i\u003e by Mark Lawrence. Both of these beautifully written novels pay homage to books and libraries, delivering insights on the nature of time and aging within a love story set across parallel worlds. However, while Lawrence delivers plenty of fantasy action, Murakami slows the pace down dramatically with meditations on isolation and social interaction. Although this is probably Murakami’s slowest-paced book to date, I savored every moment.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAltogether, \u003ci\u003eThe City and its Uncertain Walls\u003c/i\u003e is a well-earned victory lap for the marathon-running Haruki Murakami, forty-five years into his distinguished literary career. This is Murakami’s most refined and eloquent work to date, a Proustian novel full of nuance and emotion that leverages magical realism to take on the tyranny of time itself.","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/26741582?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6610890674"},"likeCount":131,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":12},"User:21348532":{"id":21348532,"__typename":"User","legacyId":21348532,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1383562508i/21348532._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":242,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Liong","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21348532-liong","contributor":null,"followersCount":368},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1._2aC99pqj30WR-qHogJnQA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1._2aC99pqj30WR-qHogJnQA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:21348532"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733247303428,"createdAt":1733012975955,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1733048773632,"text":"I had been waiting for this book to be translated into English or Chinese for a year.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor about ten days, I was completely immersed and enveloped in its world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI truly enjoyed the time I spent in both this fictional city and the real world around me. Yet, I found myself questioning: Is this city real, or does it not exist at all? 🤔\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, it’s time to revisit the Murakami Bingo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1474874655i/20649902._SY540_.jpg\" class=\"gr-hostedUserImg\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCourtesy to New York Times.\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMurakami writes in this book, \"No matter how many pages you turned without page numbers changing.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Like I can't draw a line between dream and reality.” This sentiment resonates deeply throughout the novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI felt sad and forlorn when the protagonist used \"Farewell\" instead of \"See you tomorrow\" during the final trip to take the girl home. Could this be a hint that this might be Murakami’s last novel?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis novel is not easy to read; its impact varies depending on the reader’s age and life experiences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf I were to sum up the book, it would be this: Nothing is permanent, and yet, nothing is truly impermanent—in this world or the one beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinally, I returned to this world and realized my watch hands were showing it was time to sleep. ⌚\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAm I still dreaming, or am I writing this review on Goodreads? Is it my shadow doing this, or my real self?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book challenges us to think deeply about memory, identity, love, connection, our inner and outer worlds, the certainty of reality, and the power of visualization.","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"asian-literature","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=asian-literature"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"fiction","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=fiction"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"fantasy","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=fantasy"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"japanese","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=japanese"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"mystery","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=mystery"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"magical-realism","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21348532?shelf=magical-realism"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7022073234"},"likeCount":127,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":13},"User:76202320":{"id":76202320,"__typename":"User","legacyId":76202320,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1731968217i/76202320._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":1015,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Henk","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/76202320-henk","contributor":null,"followersCount":30},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.1jii8I8b8beRe1tuEg9z4g":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.1jii8I8b8beRe1tuEg9z4g","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:76202320"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733030199962,"createdAt":1706037844332,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1731230771271,"text":"\u003cb\u003eWell this was a deception, classic case of Murakami teasing a lot but not fully delivering on the interesting concepts in the end. A metaphorical city tied to childhood losses controls a whole life and book without satisfying catharsis\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA city where people don’t have shadows, where unicorns roam and where the walls move to contain the populace. The setting of the new \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/3354.Haruki_Murakami\" title=\"Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eHaruki Murakami\u003c/a\u003e is interesting but never crystallizes further into a coherent narrative leading to a plot. Maybe a metaphor for the things one loses as a child and which can never be revisited or changed, but way too long to be fully engrossing and interesting. Also everyone has hunches, intuitions, convictions, or infodumps delivered to them by ghosts, just to keep things moving on in the most inelegant manner possible.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePeople in general in the \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/209192695.The_City_and_Its_Uncertain_Walls\" title=\"The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe City and Its Uncertain Walls\u003c/a\u003e feel numb, reeling from childhood/high-school romances they never seem to be able to surmount in later life, being unmoored and adrift as outsiders in the wider world when growing up. Being a dream reader of eggs in a mysterious cold city, even if taken into account some damage to the eyes, hence becomes an obsession to the main character.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe initial love history to be fair is touching, if borderline saccharine, but the long, long, long rural library scenes that didn't go anywhere accept for drinking coffee, eating pastries and sort of abducting a trouble teenager, never satisfied anything I actually wanted in the second half of the novel. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAgain, maybe the city is a metaphor for mental health and the alienation modern day life brings upon people growing up, but even if it is, the execution is just too boring and longwinding to make this an overall worthwhile read for me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003eDutch Quotes:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003eMensen die bang zijn om naar binnen te kijken om daar iets verschrikkelijks en onvermijdelijks te vinden\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMijn werkelijke lichaam is ergens anders\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNog even volhouden, naarmate je meer went aan het leven trekt de pijn zich terug.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSoms lijkt het doden van je bewustzijn het makkelijkste \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eStilte en leegte, afgezien hiervan valt over de mens die ik ben niets meer te zeggen \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDe werkelijkheid en de onwerkelijkheid waren in mijn hoofd in een hevige strijd verwikkeld \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eZoals de schaduw zei, het werd steeds moeilijker onderscheid te maken tussen wat hypothese was en wat werkelijkheid \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHet diepe gevoel misplaatst te zijn\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHet is gevaarlijk daaraan te denken\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWanneer een overledene verschijnt en zegt dat hij niet weet of er zoiets als een ziel is, hoe moet je daar dan tegen in brengen?\u003c/i\u003e","rating":2,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/76202320?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"japanese-literature","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/76202320?shelf=japanese-literature"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6195340449"},"likeCount":84,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":3},"User:170145013":{"id":170145013,"__typename":"User","legacyId":170145013,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1695494469i/170145013._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":164,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Chris","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/170145013-chris","contributor":null,"followersCount":63},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.L1SNkaD0-ApyG7HJXnujJQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.L1SNkaD0-ApyG7HJXnujJQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:170145013"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732418328548,"createdAt":1717398317592,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1717602251101,"text":"Waarom lees ik Murakami? En waarom voelt dat intussen aan als een vorm van 'guilty pleasure'? Die vragen was ik me al tijdens het lezen van zijn nieuwste worp gaan stellen. Als lezer met altijd wel een wachtend stapeltje boeken op mijn leestafel hoef ik me intussen niet per se over te geven aan de literaire waan van de dag, maar een handvol auteurs doet mij toch altijd meteen naar de boekhandel rennen als ze een nieuwe roman uitbrengen (o.a. Knausgård, Pfeijffer en dus ook Murakami). Soms is het blijkbaar gewoon fijn om mee te gaan in een hype.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami is in tegenstelling tot die twee andere auteurs nooit echt verrassend. Zijn oeuvre vormt een wereld op zich; een universum met magisch-realistische variaties waarin muziek, metafysica en een kafkaiaanse vervreemding terugkerende elementen zijn. Als je hem leest, stap je dat universum binnen en geef je jezelf over aan de verwondering en aan zijn bezwerende stijl.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOver die bezwerende stijl begon ik tijdens het lezen van deze roman na te denken, zeker nadat het personage van de jongen met de hoodie van de Yellow Submarine zijn opwachting maakte. Die jongen is een soort 'rain man' die autistische trekjes en kenmerken van het zogenaamde 'savantsyndroom' vertoont, waarmee hij o.a. alles wat hij leest en opmerkt onthoudt, maar geen emoties vertoont en bijna nooit praat. Murakami is voor mij een schrijver die heel overtuigend de teugels in handen houdt en uiterst nauwgezet schrijft. De ogenschijnlijk overbodige details en vooral de vele herhalingen die hij inlast, wekken niet zelden de indruk dat hij je als lezer nadrukkelijker en preciezer wil sturen dan andere schrijvers. Alsof hij weinig of niets aan de verbeelding van de lezer wil overlaten, om zich ervan te verzekeren dat je hem juist leest, op het autistische af, zou je kunnen zeggen. En dat zou volgens mij wel eens de reden kunnen zijn dat sommigen (zoals Connie Palmen) zijn boeken vreselijk vinden. Terwijl het voor mij eerder als een vorm van overgave aanvoelt aan die rigide Murakami-bezwering.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDie overgave kwam voor mij deze keer echter pas bij het begin van het middendeel, na zo'n kleine 200 pagina's. Het eerste deel mocht dan intrigerend zijn, het was mij toch vooral te langdradig en een tikkeltje saai. Bovendien stoorde ik me af en toe aan de vertaling. Naast het foutief gebruikte (want mannelijke) bezittelijke voornaamwoord voor de stad in de titel, kwam ik regelmatig passages tegen waarin onnodig tussen o.v.t. en o.t.t. geschakeld werd. Als dat omwille van de 'onvastheid' uit de titel opzettelijk zo zou zijn geschreven, had er wel een noot van de vertaler gestaan. Dus ja, een tikkeltje slordig.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOver de inhoud wil ik verder niet spoilen, maar voor mij was dit een klassieke, zeg maar doorsnee Murakami. In tegenstelling tot zijn vorige, verrassend originele \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/36678039.Een_Idea_verschijnt__De_moord_op_Commendatore___1_\" title=\"Een Idea verschijnt (De moord op Commendatore, #1) by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eEen Idea verschijnt\u003c/a\u003e/\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/36678098.Metaforen_verschuiven__De_moord_op_Commendatore___2_\" title=\"Metaforen verschuiven (De moord op Commendatore, #2) by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMetaforen verschuiven\u003c/a\u003e en mijn absolute favoriet \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/3041995.De_opwindvogelkronieken\" title=\"De opwindvogelkronieken by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eDe opwindvogelkronieken\u003c/a\u003e, vond ik 'De stad en zijn onvaste muren' geen hoogvlieger. En toch heb ik er graag en gretig in doorgelezen, precies zoals dat hoort bij een guilty pleasure.","rating":3,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/170145013?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6162613170"},"likeCount":51,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":12},"User:117699577":{"id":117699577,"__typename":"User","legacyId":117699577,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1726151480i/117699577._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":26,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Marc Martínez-Campayo","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/117699577-marc-mart-nez-campayo","contributor":null,"followersCount":21},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.RmDpcC-O-F_aV_u32PyTWg":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.RmDpcC-O-F_aV_u32PyTWg","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:117699577"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733251365265,"createdAt":1712934889299,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1712938207149,"text":"Hacía años que no me enfadaba tanto con un libro. Esto es simplemente un despropósito y el peor Murakami hasta la fecha. La premisa inicial es interesante y, aunque le cuesta, parece que finalmente arranca. Pero, de repente, cuando no has leído ni 200 páginas, corta de raíz con lo que estaba planteando y salta a contarte el mayor tostonazo que has leído en toda tu vida. 300 páginas extra para describir detalles absurdos e inútiles y repetir las mismas estructuras y escenas (que no aportan nada y son densísimas) una y otra vez. Un libro pesadísimo cual chaval de discoteca, te da la misma chapa y te obliga también a poner los ojos en blanco cada quince segundos. El cierre es el mismo despropósito, aunque admito que las últimas 100 páginas las he leído en diagonal porque no podía más. No responde a las preguntas planteadas en la primera parte y que son lo único interesante del libro (no resuelve nada y lo peor es que te acaba dando igual). A la chica (que ocupa la cubierta y \u003ci\u003etoda\u003c/i\u003e la contracubierta) no la busquéis, porque no se vuelve a saber nada de ella y lo que se sabe es entre poco y nada. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLo que más me enfada es la aparente timidez de Murakami aquí para explicar ciertas cosas, como si quisiera decir mucho pero le diese demasiada pereza desarrollarlo. La trampa de que el narrador \"no sepa explicar algo\" y, por tanto, tengas una justificación para no explicar ese \u003ci\u003ealgo\u003c/i\u003e te puede funcionar una vez, pero cuando te acoges a ese comodín cada vez que \u003ci\u003epasa algo\u003c/i\u003e que podría ser interesante y que necesita de un desarrollo, acaba siendo directamente aburrido. Una y otra vez el protagonista repitiendo \"no sabría definir lo que estaba pasando\", \"no podría explicar lo que sucedía\", \"era una sensación imposible de describir\". El mundo mágico de las novelas de Murakami está pero sin estar, porque es Murakami escrito de memoria, perfectamente una autoparodia de sí mismo. Hay metáforas y comparaciones (o más bien imágenes innecesarias y metidas con calzador) que dan risa –cito textualmente: «Continuó mirándolos sin pestañear, con una agudeza crítica en la mirada que se diría propia de Paul Cézanne al abordar el estudio de las formas en su bodegón \u003ci\u003eCesto de manzanas\u003c/i\u003e»– y de la grima que da su utilización del sexo no hace falta ni hablar; es realmente apasionante leer durante 500 páginas a un hombre de más de 40 años que sigue obsesionado con una niña de 16 y sus \"turgentes pechos\" (lo de \"turgentes pechos\" aparece como cuatro veces). Es que ni siquiera es bonito de leer.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUna experiencia horrible, no lo leáis o hacedlo si vuestro objetivo es enfadaros muchísimo. Yo ya soy libre.","rating":1,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/117699577?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"2024","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/117699577?shelf=2024"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6340154125"},"likeCount":51,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":2},"User:112827298":{"id":112827298,"__typename":"User","legacyId":112827298,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1717060351i/112827298._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":594,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Anna Carina","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/112827298-anna-carina","contributor":null,"followersCount":223},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.sNaogi3uMO2f0Y-7O3rnGg":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.sNaogi3uMO2f0Y-7O3rnGg","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:112827298"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732418364605,"createdAt":1705475513728,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1705486656866,"text":"2,5 Sterne \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003e Oh! Darling\u003cbr /\u003ePlease believe me\u003cbr /\u003eI’ll never do you no harm\u003cbr /\u003eBelieve me when I tell you\u003cbr /\u003eI’ll never do you no harm\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOh Darling\u003cbr /\u003eIf you leave me \u003cbr /\u003eI’ll never make it alone… \u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e[Beatles]\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami beweist mit diesem Buch wieder einmal seinen Blick und Hingabe für die Außenseiter der Gesellschaft. Leise Menschen, die im Lärm der Anderen untergehen. Die Beschädigten, voller Schmerz und Angst, vor sich selbst. Angst einen anderen zu beschädigen.\u003cbr /\u003eEr entführt uns in eine Art Nirwana der Friedfertigkeit. Das Buch ist von Anfang bis Ende ein Rückzug aus der Realität in die Illusion. Die Logik, die in der die Welt der Sprache angesiedelt ist, deren Grenzen, die Grenzen meiner Welt ausmachen, setzt Murakami aus.\u003cbr /\u003eDer Junge im Yellow-Submarine-Pullover liest Wittgensteins tractatus parallel zur isländischen Sagenwelt. \u003cbr /\u003eDie Ratio weicht der Intuition.\u003cbr /\u003eDie Welt der symbolischen Ordnung, der Sprache und Kultur, der sozialen Ordnung fordert ihren Tribut. Fragmentierung des Selbst, ein Gefühl des Mangels, Verlust des direkten Zugangs zu den wahren Wünschen und Bedürfnissen.\u003cbr /\u003eDieser Mangel wird in voller Anerkennung von Murakami bespielt. \u003cbr /\u003eUnd jetzt wird es problematisch. Ein Fosse in „Der Andere Name“ hat das gleiche Ziel: Hinein ins Reale, ran ans Unaussprechliche, Unmögliche. Auflösung der symbolischen Ordnung. Dafür müssen unsere Figuren feststecken, eine innere Erstarrung durchleben. In Mumis Fall durch das Nirwana der Friedfertigkeit bespielt. Dies muss zur Folge haben, dass die Welt in vereinfachte, dichotome Kategorien unterteilt ist. Fosse löst dies auf höchster literarischer Sprach- und Stilebene. Murakami löst dies, indem er uns eine Fahrt auf dem Kinderkarussel gewährt.\u003cbr /\u003eEs kommen solche Dialoge dabei rum:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e „Vielleicht sehnten Sie sich tief in ihrem Herzen danach, die Stadt zu verlassen und auf diese Seite zurückzukehren.“\u003cbr /\u003e„Das würde also bedeuten, dass dieser Wille der stärker ist als mein eigener, nicht außerhalb von mir war, sondern in mir selbst?“\u003cbr /\u003e„Das ist natürlich nur eine haltlose persönliche Vermutung von mir. Aber nach Ihrer Geschichte kann ich es mir nicht anders vorstellen. Wahrscheinlich sind Sie freiwillig in diese unheimliche Stadt gegangen und aus freien Stücken zurückgekehrt. Diese Feder, die Sie zurückkatapultiert hat, muss eine besondere Kraft in Ihnen selbst sein. Der starke Wille tief in Ihnen hat dieses große Kommen und Gehen möglich gemacht. Auf einem Gebiet, das über Ihre Logik und Vernunft hinausreicht.“\u003cbr /\u003e„Woher wissen Sie das?“\u003cbr /\u003e„Das ist nur meine persönliche Meinung. Vielleicht stimmt es nicht. Aber ich habe es irgendwie im Urin (auch wenn es zweifelhaft ist, dass die Seele eines Verstorbenen Urin birgt).\u003cbr /\u003eJa, so könnte es gewesen sein. Natürlich passiert es nicht jedem. Aber irgendwo und irgendwann kann es passieren. Wenn man einen starken Willen und ein reines Herz hat.“ \u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDas Buch unterfordert maßlos. Es funktioniert aber über weite Strecken.\u003cbr /\u003eInsbesondere dort, wo wir in die Lebensgeschichten der Figuren abtauchen, den Jungen mit dem Yellow-Submarine-Pullover verfolgen, die Winterstimmung, die Atmosphäre in der Bibliothek in uns aufsaugen. Es ist so pastell: uneindeutig, zart, schwebend, fluffig, liebevoll, friedvoll.\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami verweigert sich sprachlich dem Schmerz. Er will heilen, weiß aber nicht wie.\u003cbr /\u003eMan gleitet fröhlich auf dieser rosa Zuckerwatte vor sich hin, bis „der Lauch im Bett“, einen mit einem Gongschlag zurückholt oder vor Zuckersirup triefende Tränke (Weisheiten) eines wirren Mirakulix gereicht werden – Sprachkitsch vom Feinsten.\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami arbeitet erstaunlich plakativ die Symbolik heraus. Ich kenne es von seinen Büchern, dass ich seinen magischen Realismus in der Imagination oft nicht kapiere. Er lässt es für sich stehen. Hier erklärt er ihn. Dies führt ua. zu diesen äußerst skurrilen Dialogen und Gedanken, die sich kindlich, naiv, vereinfacht darstellen. Ich verweise hier auf meinen Punkt des Feststeckens und der Konsequenz daraus zu Vereinfachen. Er muss dies so anlegen, um die Dauerflucht ins Imaginäre aufrechtzuerhalten. Dadurch verliert er den Anspruch und literarische Qualität. Den Preis den er für seine stilistischen, sprachlichen Entscheidungen zahlt, wie er die Vermittlung des Unbewussten angeht, das der Symbolisierung widersteht, ist meines Erachtens zu hoch. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDas Buch ist in 3 Teile gegliedert. Mit Teil 1 stolpert er äußerst unbeholfen in die Stadt mit der Mauer. Fällt mit der Tür ins Haus. Da rumpelt es sprachlich und kompositorisch übelst hart.\u003cbr /\u003eTeil 2 ist der längste und geglückt. Die von mir erwähnten Ausreißer ausgenommen.\u003cbr /\u003eTeil 3 schließt in sich das Buch rund ab und tunkt mich zum Ende nochmal tief in eingekochten Sprachkitsch, der klassisch philosophische Ideen in sprühendes, wirr tanzendes Konfetti der Selbstfindung verwandelt.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIch muss mal warten wie gut das Buch einwirkt und was es noch mit mir macht, um über 3 Sterne nachzudenken. 2 Sterne sind hart. Ich weiß.","rating":2,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/112827298?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6145480643"},"likeCount":47,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":13},"Contributor:kca://author/amzn1.gr.author.v1.rV1btNB9pkC5GDvDE6JJDA":{"id":"kca://author/amzn1.gr.author.v1.rV1btNB9pkC5GDvDE6JJDA","__typename":"Contributor","works":{"__typename":"ContributorWorksConnection","totalCount":105}},"User:45597216":{"id":45597216,"__typename":"User","legacyId":45597216,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1442516223i/45597216._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":true,"textReviewsCount":197,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Yuko Shimizu","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/45597216-yuko-shimizu","contributor":{"__ref":"Contributor:kca://author/amzn1.gr.author.v1.rV1btNB9pkC5GDvDE6JJDA"},"followersCount":311},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.lsPJgtZDB3MX0Y4hdtONzQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.lsPJgtZDB3MX0Y4hdtONzQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:45597216"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733015507935,"createdAt":1701126654435,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1701449531201,"text":"It is late 2023, and this new novel has only been out in Japanese. So, this is not really a review. I am writing this to give fellow Murakami fans a small preview of what to expect. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you have not read \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/10374.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World\" title=\"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/a\u003e yet or have been a while since you did, you may want to revisit while you await the translation. (in fact, I should read it again too). These are not directly related, but they take place (partially) in the same world. The format is similar too, two worlds switch around in different chapters. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe original form of this story was published in a magazine as a novella back around 1980. The author expanded the story into this novel, after 40 years, during the pandemic. The characters, in the real world or in the walled city, seem so isolated and alone. Which may be explained by the circumstances in which this book was written. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is a very quiet book. Nothing much happens, and yet, a lot of things happen. All very quietly. \u003cbr /\u003eScenes are extremely vivid and visual, filled with symbols. As an illustrator, I have a strange and strong urge to draw these into sketches. (haven't had a chance yet!) Ghost of old male librarian in skirt, walled city without maps, unicorns, dreams in the library, old beret hat, stoves that burns apple tree rogs, shadows separeted from the owners, a boy in Yellow Submarine hoodie...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e(I have no idea if Murakami knows or has read an Albanian novel \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/797635.The_Palace_of_Dreams\" title=\"The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e The Palace of Dreams\u003c/a\u003e by \u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/author/show/10838.Ismail_Kadare\" title=\"Ismail Kadare\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eIsmail Kadare\u003c/a\u003e, which is also about isolation and reading dreams as an occupation, which I kept thinking about while I was reading this. )\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt is a very long (as usual, all Murakami novels are!) quiet novel, but I never got bored. \u003cbr /\u003eI felt that it is a book only a writer who has lived long enough he is in a life stage where he has a lot of thoughts looking back at his life more so than looking at the future. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFive stars. \u003cbr /\u003eI am definitely going to be rereading this again soon. So much feelings. Hope you will enjoy it when it comes out in your language.","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/45597216?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5494676458"},"likeCount":46,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":8},"User:59704669":{"id":59704669,"__typename":"User","legacyId":59704669,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1629627767i/59704669._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":151,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Javier Ventura","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59704669-javier-ventura","contributor":null,"followersCount":58},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.yhqZMUk57XAmu9rPEuMysA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.yhqZMUk57XAmu9rPEuMysA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:59704669"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732418367129,"createdAt":1725310295633,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1725915413361,"text":"Hace tiempo decidí no leer más a Murakami. Lo que empezó siendo una pasión memorable (Crónica del pájaro, Kafka y Tokyo Blues), se fue convirtiendo en cierta indiferencia no exenta de momentos placenteros (la caza del carnero, Sputnik) para acabar saturado primero con la excesiva e interminable 1Q84 y noqueado definitivamente con el Fin del Mundo. \u003cbr /\u003eDecía que ya había tenido yo suficiente Murakami, hasta que a un amigo (un buen amigo, todo hay que decirlo) se le ocurrió regalarme la novela que aquí nos ocupa. Joder, si yo no quería leer más Murakamis. Pero uno es de natural agradecido, y aquí que he estado buena parte del verano sufriendo una vez más con los habituales desadaptados sociales que protagonizan todas sus novelas, con sus Beatles, su música Jazz, sus gatos, sus suicidios, y como no podía ser de otra manera, una ración doble no, triple más bien, de sucesos inexplicables, fantasías oníricas, y momentos absurdos que no conducen a ningún sitio y para los que yo, ya, no tengo paciencia (si hasta unicornios tenemos en esta ocasión, madre de Dios). \u003cbr /\u003eYo no quería leer más a Murakami, y esta ciudad y sus muros inciertos no ha hecho más que confirmar mi decisión.","rating":2,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/59704669?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6692322552"},"likeCount":43,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":25},"User:118876002":{"id":118876002,"__typename":"User","legacyId":118876002,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1710087036i/118876002._UX200_CR0,50,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":1350,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Harun Ahmed","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/118876002-harun-ahmed","contributor":null,"followersCount":283},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.i0wfJwdVEouuNOuECnLXqg":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.i0wfJwdVEouuNOuECnLXqg","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:118876002"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732471090117,"createdAt":1731326761465,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1731417661497,"text":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\"মাঝে মাঝে মনে হয় আমি যেন কারও, কোনো কিছুর ছায়া,\" এমনভাবে বললে যেন গোপন কোনো কথা ফাঁস করছো। \"এখানে যে আমি আছি, তার কোনো অস্তিত্ব নেই, আমার আসল অস্তিত্ব কোথাও অন্য জায়গায়। এখানে যে আমি আছি, সে দেখতে আমার মতো হলেও আসলে মাটিতে বা দেওয়ালে পড়া আমার ছায়া মাত্র...এরকমই মনে হয় আমার।\"\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eপরিচিত মনে হচ্ছে লাইনগুলো? আপনি মুরাকামির \"hard boiled wonderland\" পড়ে থাকলে একটু বেশিই পরিচিত মনে হবে কথাটা। আমি এখানে, আমার ছায়া অন্যখানে, আশ্চর্য এক শহর, সেখানে মানুষের শরীরে ছায়া নেই (প্রকারান্তরে তাদের আত্মা নেই), কিন্তু সেই ছায়ার আবার আলাদা অস্তিত্ব আছে, সেখান থেকে বের হওয়া যায় না - মনে হবে দেজাভু হচ্ছে। মুরাকামি পড়তে যেয়ে দেজাভুর অনুভূতি হওয়া অবশ্য দুর্লভ ব্যাপার নয়। কিন্তু এখানে একটু বেশিই হয় অনুভূতিটা। ভূমিকা পড়ে জানা গেলো, এই উপন্যাস আসলে hard boiled wonderland এরই আরেকটা বিকল্প বয়ান। শুরুতে প্রচুর মিল থাকলেও ধীরে ধীরে গল্প অন্যদিকে মোড় নেয়। মানুষের অস্তিত্ব নিয়ে দার্শনিক জিজ্ঞাসাই লেখার মূল উপজীব্য বলে মনে হয়েছে। যারা পূর্বোক্ত উপন্যাসটি পড়েছে তারা তুলনা করবে বাধ্য হয়ে। hard boiled wonderland ছিলো টানটান, শেষ পর্যন্ত উত্তুঙ্গ আগ্রহ বজায় ছিলো পাঠকের। \"অ-জানি শহর\" এলানো, শিথিল কিন্তু গল্পের পরিণতি আগ্রহ জাগানিয়া। বারবার তুলনা এসে পড়ায় উপন্যাসটা আসলেই কতটুকু ভালো লাগলো তা নিয়ে আমি সন্দিহান কিন্তু মুরাকামির আগের উপন্যাস killing commendatore এর চাইতে এ বই তুলনামূলকভাবে সবল। তবে, মুরাকামি তার লেখার ধার আর ফেরত পাবেন বলে মনে হয় না। \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e(অনুবাদ দারুণ। বেশ অবাক হয়েছি বল�� যায়।)","rating":0,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/118876002?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6940230184"},"likeCount":39,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:133401084":{"id":133401084,"__typename":"User","legacyId":133401084,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1618586579i/133401084._UX200_CR0,30,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":345,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Alexander Carmele","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/133401084-alexander-carmele","contributor":null,"followersCount":174},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.-PP3Svcq58_5iWK-lyhqTA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.-PP3Svcq58_5iWK-lyhqTA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:133401084"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733015747518,"createdAt":1705514863835,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1706162541327,"text":"\u003cb\u003eMühsam verkitteter Allegorie-Exzess, oder wie Sprache gegen sich selbst kämpft und am Ende verliert. Seltsam nahe am Bedeutungsnirwana. \u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAusführlicher, vielleicht begründeter auf \u003ca href=\"https://kommunikativeslesen.com/2024/01/23/haruki-murakami-die-stadt-und-ihre-ungewisse-mauer/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003ekommunikativeslesen.com\u003c/a\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOb es an der Übersetzung liegt (mir wurde versichert, dass nicht), Stilist ist Haruki Murakami jedenfalls nicht. Auch in „Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ hakelt und radebricht es von Seite zu Seite im Stolperschritt:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e„In diese diffusen Gedanken versunken, schritt ich durch die abendliche Dämmerung. Auf Höhe des Uhrturms warf ich gewohnheitsmäßig einen Blick auf die zeigerlose Uhr, die nicht die Zeit anzeigte, sondern deren Bedeutungslosigkeit veranschaulichte. Die Zeit ist nicht stehen geblieben, hat aber ihre Bedeutung verloren.“\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAbsätze wie diese konzentriert gelesen, fallen in sich zusammen. Wie kann etwas, das fehlt, eine Bedeutungslosigkeit veranschaulichen? Und was hat das Stehenbleiben der Zeit mit ihrer Bedeutung zu tun? Bei der Lektüre „Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ häufen sich solche Sätze, die entweder metonymisch Katachresen erzeugen oder letztlich tautologisch ineinander übergehen und die Erzählung auf der Stelle treten lassen:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e„War ich dieses wahrere Ich geworden? War es – dieses Ich, das ich nun war – mein wahres Ich? Aber wer konnte schon beurteilen, ob er sein wahres Ich war oder nicht? Wie sollte man eindeutig zwischen einem Subjekt und einem Objekt unterscheiden, die miteinander verschmolzen waren? Je mehr ich darüber nachdachte, desto weniger begriff ich.“\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWorum geht’s? Ein Ich-Erzähler verliebt sich in jungen Jahren. Das Mädchen verschwindet, bevor es aber verschwindet, imaginieren sie gemeinsam eine geheimnisvolle Stadt, in der sie gemeinsam leben und voneinander träumen könnten. Der Ich-Erzähler wächst auf, vergisst das Mädchen nie, und trifft fortan auf Repräsentanten seines jüngeren und älteren Ich. Es trifft auch auf Repräsentanten des jungen Mädchens, und all dies im Zusammenhang mit dem Leib-Seele-Problem, dem Unbewussten, dem Traum und der Frage, was ist ein Traum, was Wirklichkeit und eigentlich Fiktion?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e„Ich weiß nicht, wie viel davon wahr ist und wie viel Fiktion. Aber die Stadt gewährt mir diese Freuden und Gefühlsregungen.“\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDer Ich-Erzähler weiß sehr wenig. Er weiß nicht, wann er schläft, wann er träumt, was er fühlt, was er begehrt, was er sich wünscht. Er weiß nicht, Tod und Leben zu unterscheiden, Subjekt von Objekt zu trennen. Im Grunde lässt er sich treiben und will auch nichts anderes, als sich treiben zu lassen:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e„»Sind Sie aus Tokio hierher in die Berge gezogen, um [die Liebe ihres Lebens] zu vergessen?«\u003cbr /\u003eIch schüttelte lächelnd den Kopf. »Nein, so einen romantischen Grund hatte ich nicht. Egal, wo man ist, in der Stadt oder auf dem Land, es ist immer das Gleiche. Ich schwimme einfach mit dem Strom.«“\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e„Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ will niemandem ans Leder. Der Roman entzieht sich allen Fragen, allen Bedeutungsebenen. Friedlich, geruhsam, sanftmütig schleicht der Ich-Erzähler durch die Nächte, den Winter, während Schnee unter seinen Schuhen knirscht. Er wünscht sich eine andere Welt. Er wünscht sich Zauber, Mystik und Transzendenz, Einhörner, Gespenster und auch Blaubeermuffins. Leider findet das alles nicht zusammen. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEs besitzt Stellen, die komisch sind, wie Halldór Laxness‘ „\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/2988602.Am_Gletscher\" title=\"Am Gletscher by Halldór Laxness\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAm Gletscher\u003c/a\u003e“, in denen ebenfalls die Transzendenz und das Leben nach dem Tod verhandelt werden. Es enthält etwas von Alfred Kubins Traumwelt „\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/16038679.Die_andere_Seite\" title=\"Die andere Seite by Alfred Kubin\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eDie andere Seite\u003c/a\u003e“, in der das Unbewusste sich zeigt und wütet (martialisches Prokreation der Einhörner, bspw). Und es besitzt das Impressionistische von Joshua Groß‘ „\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/61739043.Prana_Extrem\" title=\"Prana Extrem by Joshua Groß\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ePrana Extrem\u003c/a\u003e“, und das Dunkle, Wiederkehrende von Jon Fosses „\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/48507070.Der_andere_Name__Heptalogie_I_II\" title=\"Der andere Name. Heptalogie I–II by Jon Fosse\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eDer andere Name. Heptalogie I–II\u003c/a\u003e“.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIm Grunde wirft Murakamis Sprache aber das weiße Handtuch. Er will nicht festgelegt werden, und niemanden festlegen. Er will einfach lauschen, spazieren gehen, vor sich hindümpeln und in Ruhe gelassen werden. „Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer“ lädt zu einer leeren, fröhlichen, sinnlosen Fahrt ein – und das wirre Erzählen, na ja, es ersetzt einfach die Stille, so dass es noch nicht einmal ärgerlich ist.","rating":2,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/133401084?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"owned-books","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/133401084?shelf=owned-books"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6160289526"},"likeCount":39,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":9},"User:119456718":{"id":119456718,"__typename":"User","legacyId":119456718,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1632093796i/119456718._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":332,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Óscar Moreno (OscarBooker) ","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/119456718-scar-moreno-oscarbooker","contributor":null,"followersCount":448},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.LHMz5UyeEALhCQVf3QRzxw":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.LHMz5UyeEALhCQVf3QRzxw","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:119456718"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1726986992739,"createdAt":1713735012468,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1713735053496,"text":"Al autor de este libro le tomó 40 años darle forma a esta historia. Casi medio siglo para agregar más y más carne. Se nota. Es una novela con múltiples matices que juega con el lector y lo reta constantemente. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRealmente no tengo ningún “pero” para este libro. El personaje de Koyazu es precioso y ansío poder abrazarlo. El de el niño “Yellow submarine” me parece muy cercano y vivido. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHasta este momento, en que escribo estas palabras, tengo una lista escrita a mano con siete preguntas para interpretar todo el simbolismo. Me queda claro que hubo influencia de “Alicia y el país de las maravillas” pero este mundo de Murakami es más profundo o al menos eso lo parece. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSe mezclan temas como la muerte, las enfermedades mentales, la identidad, ausencia de empatía/amor, la vida, la creatividad o la esperanza.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTengo que sentarme a repensar las notas mentales de esta lectura pues es sumamente rica e interesante. No encuentro excusa para no darle la calificación máxima en esta aplicación. ","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/119456718?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6382653725"},"likeCount":34,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":1},"User:2942168":{"id":2942168,"__typename":"User","legacyId":2942168,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1708180040i/2942168._UY200_CR2,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":267,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"The Speculative Shelf","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2942168-the-speculative-shelf","contributor":null,"followersCount":363},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.zFaN3NvQGShVaKlnbjFHHw":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.zFaN3NvQGShVaKlnbjFHHw","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:2942168"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732721436858,"createdAt":1732045110024,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1732045264811,"text":"Our main character inhabits two parallel worlds—one is the “real world,” and the other is a “dream world” reminiscent of Susanna Clarke’s \u003ci\u003ePiranesi\u003c/i\u003e: a nameless city with labyrinthine streets that feels disorienting yet mesmerizing.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe story is told in an understated and straightforward way, with little drama but plenty of pleasant imagery. Some elements felt downright cozy, though they lacked significant dramatic heft. The main character grapples with existential questions about his inner worldview and his sense of self, which are represented through the parallel worlds he experiences. Is the walled town a construct of his mind? A physical manifestation of the complex bond he shared with his first love? Who’s to say?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMurakami abandons the eponymous city for the “real world” early on, and the farther the narrative distances itself from that place, the harder it becomes—for both the main character and the reader—to return to what we once remembered. The plot clumsily attempts to weave these threads and worlds back together, but the resulting knot felt unsatisfying to me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMany reviews have noted that Murakami has told similar stories more effectively in the past, so surely this is not the ideal book to start with as a Murakami neophyte—but here we are. I suspect I would connect better with his earlier works, as his writing and style resonated with me, but the story itself felt half-baked.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003eMy thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003e\n \u003ca href=\"https://https//speculativeshelf.com/2024/11/19/review-the-city-and-its-uncertain-walls/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eBlog\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/b\u003e | \u003cb\u003e\n \u003ca href=\"https://bit.ly/specshelf-twitter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eTwitter\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/b\u003e | \u003cb\u003e\n \u003ca href=\"https://bit.ly/specshelf-ig\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eInstagram\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/b\u003e","rating":3,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2942168?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6321484635"},"likeCount":31,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:114415166":{"id":114415166,"__typename":"User","legacyId":114415166,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1721594341i/114415166._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":146,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"melissabastaleggere","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/114415166-melissabastaleggere","contributor":null,"followersCount":514},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.o5otkj-Lw1UqvKoO8B-zLw":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.o5otkj-Lw1UqvKoO8B-zLw","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:114415166"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732460950147,"createdAt":1728172668552,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1728204283988,"text":"sto vecchio giapponese bavoso bastardo scrive lo stesso libro da 50 anni eppure magicamente riesce sempre a farmi piangere sangue\u003cbr /\u003eho fatto le 3 di mattina per finirlo e mi sento come quella volta che “no no ma è leggera” e sono andata in bianca\u003cbr /\u003evoi tt bn?","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/114415166?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889397867"},"likeCount":35,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":5},"User:162514525":{"id":162514525,"__typename":"User","legacyId":162514525,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1675795561i/162514525._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":22,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Katharina Hartwell","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/162514525-katharina-hartwell","contributor":null,"followersCount":2},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.njUTqYMKqY2qa8Bcg24COQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.njUTqYMKqY2qa8Bcg24COQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:162514525"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733169951434,"createdAt":1706995869852,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1706995942547,"text":"I understand people‘s grievances. But no other writer makes me feel like they were gently tidying my brain. ","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/162514525?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6191810174"},"likeCount":28,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:107189564":{"id":107189564,"__typename":"User","legacyId":107189564,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1727795284i/107189564._UY200_CR33,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":517,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Marco Wolf","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/107189564-marco-wolf","contributor":null,"followersCount":19},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.1e_GMLVaowZ35sknZbqQBw":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.1e_GMLVaowZ35sknZbqQBw","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:107189564"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1729252020750,"createdAt":1723979509308,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1723979656021,"text":"Droom en werkelijkheid lopen door elkaar heen, zodanig dat het je uiteindelijk in deze dikke pil gaat duizelen; werkelijkheid of droom, persoon of schaduw? Opnieuw start Murakami in een hoog tempo vele verhalen, maar geeft hij nauwelijks afgeronde einden. Het begint heel sterk met geliefden voor het leven. Dat is de ontsteker voor de rest van het boek dat voor mij toch vooral over eenzaamheid gaat. Jazz, whisky, katten, niet alledaagse personages, je komt het wederom allemaal tegen. De verhaallijnen vinden alleen geen slot. Het zijn raadsels die je als lezer mag oplossen. Wat is bijvoorbeeld de betekenis van de hoody met de yellow submarine: er zijn vele werkelijkheden en we leven allemaal in die van onszelf?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHoewel het plot ingewikkeld is, is het boek zoals altijd vlot leesbaar, geschreven in een prachtige dromerige stijl. Murakami tracht in deze roman verbeelding en ‘echte wereld’ los te trekken van elkaar. Vertrouw op je hart en volg je ingevingen, zal dat het centrale thema zijn? Of is er geen eenduidige betekenis te geven aan dit boek, is de werkelijkheid zoals het is, zoals ieder deze voor zich ervaart en in onze verbeelding betekenis krijgt? Durf zelf steeds opnieuw betekenis te geven aan een continu veranderende wereld, zal dat het zijn? Enfin, het blijft raadselachtig, wat onbevredigend zelfs, maar het is zeker geen straf een keer opnieuw te beginnen in dit boek.","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/107189564?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"buitenlandse-literatuur","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/107189564?shelf=buitenlandse-literatuur"}},{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"magisch-realisme","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/107189564?shelf=magisch-realisme"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6760872529"},"likeCount":26,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":4},"User:138043432":{"id":138043432,"__typename":"User","legacyId":138043432,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1709246562i/138043432._UX200_CR0,78,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":277,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Reem ","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/138043432-reem","contributor":null,"followersCount":0},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.KsL216JrAQnpS07udg36Pw":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.KsL216JrAQnpS07udg36Pw","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:138043432"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733116498154,"createdAt":1732480992998,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1733045872872,"text":"\u003cb\u003eIf I lose it all, slip and fall, I will never look away / if I lose it all, lose it all, lose it all / if I lose it all, outside the wall, live to die another day / I don’t want anything, I’m just here to…\u003c/b\u003e (The Rumbling - SiM)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYes, I pulled a \u003ci\u003e@Noah\u003c/i\u003e with lyrics in the review and it’s fun😆 honestly in this book, each time they mention 'A TOWN SURROUNDED BY A HIGH WALL' (which was 114 times, I counted) this song plays in my head and now it’s a worm in my ear! \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis book is an expansion (that turned into something different) of the \u003cu\u003e\n \u003cb\u003e End of the World\u003c/b\u003e\n\u003c/u\u003e parts of his book \u003ci\u003e’\u003ca href=\"https://goodreads.com/book/show/106484.Hard_Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World\" title=\"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\u003c/a\u003e’\u003c/i\u003e that I thought I needed but I personally enjoyed the old book more; apologies Mr Murakami. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI’m not rating it until I read it again when I’m in a different mindset, so I can appreciate it more. Especially since it seemed special to the author, who published it as a short story in 1980 but wasn’t satisfied with it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e","rating":0,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/138043432?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030810276"},"likeCount":25,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":4},"User:17124271":{"id":17124271,"__typename":"User","legacyId":17124271,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1568418403i/17124271._UY200_CR2,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":68,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Clara","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17124271-clara","contributor":null,"followersCount":11},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.6pUMS_zRRMPwrqSa8nRWIg":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.6pUMS_zRRMPwrqSa8nRWIg","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:17124271"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732567553843,"createdAt":1711333978958,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1711372346270,"text":"Este es uno de los libros más bellos que he leído. Si bien la mayoría de las reflexiones prefiero dejarlas para mí, lo cierto es que me dejó conturbada a veces, pero sobre todo muy conmovida. Es una historia mágica pero muy real que va sobre aquello que nos hacemos a nosotros mismos y cómo nuestras propias murallas nos limitan en la vida. En la historia el protagonista crea una ciudad donde se refugia, donde viven o él o su sombra (no se sabe) y el tiempo no existe. Esa ciudad tiene un profundo significado emocional y filosófico. Al final te quedas pensando ¿qué es la vida? ¿A qué vinimos? ¿De qué nos sirve vivir sin un propósito? ¿ Pero sobre todo, cuál es el papel del amor en nuestras vidas? La recomiendo plenamente, tiene una estructura impecable y se lee fácilmente. ","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17124271?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6353777404"},"likeCount":25,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:117254654":{"id":117254654,"__typename":"User","legacyId":117254654,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1652991756i/117254654._UY200_CR24,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":393,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Flo","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/117254654-flo","contributor":null,"followersCount":288},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.gi11mzKdIUDvhXG6vCUhYQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.gi11mzKdIUDvhXG6vCUhYQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:117254654"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733135878585,"createdAt":1732879366840,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1732879386298,"text":"Better to reread a favorite by Murakami than to read a new one that feels like it was written by an imitator copying his past works.","rating":2,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/117254654?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7042204272"},"likeCount":23,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:149931840":{"id":149931840,"__typename":"User","legacyId":149931840,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1679211693i/149931840._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":184,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Marion","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/149931840-marion","contributor":null,"followersCount":16},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.XDkyHBI0bIDdjpKRJVQh5w":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.XDkyHBI0bIDdjpKRJVQh5w","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:149931840"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1725618567689,"createdAt":1706425458382,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1725038204994,"text":"Eine unerfüllte Jugendliebe über 630 Seiten und durch mögliche Realität und Fantasiestadt.\u003cbr /\u003eEin namenloser Ich-Erzähler und einige durchaus interessante Nebenfiguren. Eher schlichte Symbolik und sprachlich zwischen gestelzt und ja, ebenfalls schlicht. \u003cbr /\u003eKonfettihafte Einstreuung von literarischen, musikalischen und philosophischen Andeutungen. \u003cbr /\u003eAndeutungen sind das Stichwort, das Buch besteht für mich aus Andeutungen und erreicht mich nur an wenigen Stellen in der Tiefe.\u003cbr /\u003eIch weiß nicht so recht, das Buch hat mich unterhalten aber gibt es mir etwas mit? \u003cbr /\u003eNun ja, ich weiß nun, dass ich irgendwann als Geist mit den mir nachfolgenden Bibliothekaren Tee trinken werde… ","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/149931840?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6162491134"},"likeCount":23,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":1},"User:47252189":{"id":47252189,"__typename":"User","legacyId":47252189,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1714897157i/47252189._UX200_CR0,1,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":52,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Viviane","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/47252189-viviane","contributor":null,"followersCount":0},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.Ys1YzxqqQS4thQHRQ4Tlbw":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.Ys1YzxqqQS4thQHRQ4Tlbw","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:47252189"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733068981312,"createdAt":1706079690443,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1706080702711,"text":"At the beginning of the book I compared it to Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the world, but over time it became its counterpart. I feel like everyone can get something out of this story. Most of it is about overcoming ... something. This can be whatever you want it to be. It mirrors what you believe. \u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003eIt's unbelievably well written and thought out. I'd even say it's Murakamis best work yet, and I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing he wrote. It feels so much like the culmination of all the books he ever wrote, all of his obscure wisdom packed into 600+ pages. And he is - to me - a literal genius. He combines the pain of the human condition, the mystery of conciousness, heartbreak and loss into a story, and makes you feel like you're living through all of it upon reading. It's metaphorical, it's magical, it's wise, it's - above all - deeply comforting. I loved it. Of course.","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47252189?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"favorites","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47252189?shelf=favorites"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6159185684"},"likeCount":20,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":4},"User:98489178":{"id":98489178,"__typename":"User","legacyId":98489178,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1675695762i/98489178._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":411,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Ali Book World","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/98489178-ali-book-world","contributor":null,"followersCount":210},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.M1jaO975q3HMg3Uj9iqPjA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.M1jaO975q3HMg3Uj9iqPjA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:98489178"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1732378612663,"createdAt":1732176706566,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1732176888388,"text":"این کتاب همه‌چی تمومه!\u003cbr /\u003eعشق، دوستی، راز، توهم، خیال، معما و هرچیزی که فکرشو بکنید داره.\u003cbr /\u003eدنیا و قوانین شهر محصور در دیوارها یکی از متفاوت‌ترین و جذاب‌ترین قوانینی بود که توی کتاب‌ها میتونید بخونید! (البت�� کاملش در کتاب \"سرزمین عجایب بیرجم و ته دنیا\" گفته میشه)... خیلی خیلی بیشتر و زیاد میشه راجع به این موضوع حرف زد اما اگه خودتون بخونید بیشتر لذت میبرید.\u003cbr /\u003eدلم برای قلم جذاب و عجیب و پر از راز موراکامی تنگ شده بود. خط به خط این کتاب فوق‌العاده ست!","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/98489178?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7011481211"},"likeCount":18,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:124132123":{"id":124132123,"__typename":"User","legacyId":124132123,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1695303779i/124132123._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":798,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Lisa of Troy","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/124132123-lisa-of-troy","contributor":null,"followersCount":6711},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.BC0VNvmVS_UNiYXmorhQgQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.BC0VNvmVS_UNiYXmorhQgQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:124132123"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733083751761,"createdAt":1732039940694,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1732039940694,"text":"I've never read Murakami but I have serious FOMO so I ordered a copy.","rating":0,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"to-read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/124132123?shelf=to-read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7018134759"},"likeCount":18,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:33771":{"id":33771,"__typename":"User","legacyId":33771,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1292869016i/33771._UY200_CR49,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":981,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Tony","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33771-tony","contributor":null,"followersCount":1771},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.i9xBiU4PeVzrW-FmbGB73g":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.i9xBiU4PeVzrW-FmbGB73g","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:33771"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733144651581,"createdAt":1732708955472,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1732713619827,"text":"Don't read Murakami for the plot. There's a story (or stories), of course, and stuff happens. But I know going in there will be no epilogue, no tidy resolution. Nor is there definitional character development. Even the narrating protagonist will remain elusively vague. And the author does not use the format to preach some thematic issue. Instead, Murakami will eventually find some portal to take things into the surreal. \u003ci\u003eIs there really something like a wall separating reality from the unreal?\u003c/i\u003e He does not insist that you come along. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut I did. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt took me awhile, actually, to get invested in this one, maybe a good hundred pages. When the protagonist enters the eponymous City, \u003cb\u003eand hangs up his shadow\u003c/b\u003e, I hung up my grip on reality. There were clocks with no hands (I got that) and roaming herds of unicorns (?). The protagonist has a very important job there: to read dreams. Everyone is pleased with his work, although he never seemed to articulate what any dream meant. Back in reality, the protagonist chats with a dead person, a ghost. The ghost has some answers, but not all of them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe one character in the novel who seemed closest to understanding things was, oddly, a kind of autistic, \u003ci\u003eRain Man\u003c/i\u003e-y teenage boy. He does not engage socially. Instead, he reads all day long, memorizing every word. Infrequently, and selectively, he will approach someone and ask their birthdate, as he did with the protagonist (and one other character). You're a \u003ci\u003eWednesday's Child\u003c/i\u003e, the boy immediately replied. You know, from the nursery rhyme, \u003ci\u003efull of woe\u003c/i\u003e, but interpreted to mean empathetic. I was intrigued by this when I read \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6330459628#comment_list\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003ePaul Secor's review\u003c/a\u003e, before I even started reading the book. Paul's a Wednesday Child, as is Fionnuala. Kinder people do not exist. Murakami's a Wednesday Child as well. Of course I had to find out, and asked Google what day of the week I was born. \u003ci\u003eWednesday\u003c/i\u003e. So I get to join the club, deserved or not. (No other member of my family was born on a Wednesday, by the way.) In a novel that shifts back and forth from surrealism to, well, not quite realism, that has to mean something, doesn't it? Or, as Paul correctly said, maybe not. In fact, everything in this novel may mean something, or not.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor instance, and lastly:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can't have a Murakami novel without musical references. They are often very rewarding. It took awhile, but eventually the protagonist starts to go to a coffee shop where some obscure jazz piece is always playing. He can usually identify the work, even the musicians. The only classical piece the protagonist hears is an unspecified Alexander Borodin quartet. This gets our protagonist thinking about \u003ci\u003eThe Russian Five\u003c/i\u003e, of whom Borodin was a member. He recalls two others - Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov - right away, but can't think of the other two. A little later, he hears a voice: \u003ci\u003eBalakirev\u003c/i\u003e. That's four. But he never comes up with the fifth (César Cui, I googled again). That might mean something. Then again it might not.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33771?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"japanese","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33771?shelf=japanese"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7025236006"},"likeCount":17,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":2},"User:6868207":{"id":6868207,"__typename":"User","legacyId":6868207,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1694736587i/6868207._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":357,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Mau (Maponto Lee)","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6868207-mau-maponto-lee","contributor":null,"followersCount":111},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.b3gl6EDYjKW1otUKBoLx8g":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.b3gl6EDYjKW1otUKBoLx8g","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:6868207"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1733095441196,"createdAt":1720639699242,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1722283973731,"text":"En \"La Ciudad y sus Muros Inciertos\", Haruki Murakami teje una narrativa envolvente que explora los confines de la realidad y la imaginación. La historia sigue a un hombre que, tras recibir una misteriosa llamada, se ve arrastrado a una ciudad enigmática y laberíntica, cuyos muros parecen estar en constante cambio. A medida que intenta descifrar el propósito de su viaje, se encuentra con personajes peculiares y situaciones surrealistas que desafían su percepción del mundo.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEl personaje principal, cuyo nombre no se menciona, es un hombre común atrapado en una situación extraordinaria. Es introspectivo, curioso y decidido a entender la naturaleza de la ciudad y su propio propósito en ella. A lo largo de la novela, su carácter evoluciona de alguien incrédulo y confundido a una figura más decidida y con mayor comprensión de sí mismo y de su entorno.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTambién tenemos a una mujer misteriosa, una enigmática figura femenina que parece saber más de lo que revela. Es encantadora y ambigua, proporcionando pistas al protagonista mientras mantiene un aire de misterio. Su motivación y conexión con la ciudad son elementos centrales que se desvelan gradualmente, añadiendo capas de complejidad a la trama.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eY junto a ellos, está el Guardián de la Ciudad, un personaje crucial que representa la autoridad y el conocimiento dentro de la ciudad. Sus interacciones con el protagonista son esenciales para la progresión de la historia y la comprensión del entorno en el que se encuentra.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLa novela se cuenta en tres partes. La primera se basa en un cuento de Murakami de 1980 con el mismo título, que él consideraba un trabajo fallido y esperaba retomar algún día. En ella, un narrador masculino busca a una novia de su adolescencia y se mueve entre el mundo real y una ciudad fantástica rodeada por un muro muy alto. En la segunda parte, el protagonista deja su trabajo para trabajar en la biblioteca de una nueva ciudad, y en la tercera parte, la historia regresa a la ciudad amurallada. Una ciudad con un muro alto también aparece en la célebre \"El Fin del Mundo y un Despiadado País de las Maravillas\" de Murakami, publicada en 1985. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEsta novela explora temas como la dualidad de la realidad y la imaginación, la búsqueda de identidad, y la naturaleza de los sueños y la memoria. Murakami investiga cómo las personas lidian con lo desconocido y cómo la percepción puede moldear la realidad. Los muros de la ciudad simbolizan las barreras mentales y emocionales que enfrentamos. La ciudad misma es una metáfora de la mente humana, con sus rincones oscuros y sus áreas iluminadas por la comprensión y el conocimiento. Los motivos recurrentes de puertas y pasadizos representan oportunidades y desafíos en la búsqueda del autoconocimiento.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLa habilidad de Murakami para crear una atmósfera envolvente y sus descripciones vívidas son puntos fuertes del libro. La estructura de la narrativa, que mezcla realidad y fantasía de manera coherente, es otro aspecto destacado. La profundidad de los personajes y la exploración de temas universales aportan riqueza a la novela. Sin embargo, la falta de respuestas claras y la ambigüedad intencionada pueden resultar frustrantes para aquellos que prefieren conclusiones más definitivas.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEsta obra puede compararse con otras novelas de Murakami como \"Kafka en la Orilla\" y \"Crónica del Pájaro que da Cuerda al Mundo\", que también exploran la intersección entre lo real y lo fantástico. En términos de estilo y temas, también recuerda a autores como Franz Kafka y Gabriel García Márquez.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"La Ciudad y sus Muros Inciertos\" es una obra fascinante y compleja que invita al lector a un viaje introspectivo y surrealista, mostrando la maestría de Murakami en la creación de mundos oníricos y en la exploración de la mente humana.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eReseña completa sin spoilers en mi canal de YouTube ➡ \u003cb\u003eMaponto Lee\u003c/b\u003e 📚 \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7kbWKf3Os8w\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eLink aquí!\u003c/a\u003e","rating":5,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6868207?shelf=read"},"taggings":[{"__typename":"Tagging","tag":{"__typename":"Tag","name":"literary","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6868207?shelf=literary"}}],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6658481181"},"likeCount":17,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0},"User:21590911":{"id":21590911,"__typename":"User","legacyId":21590911,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1558011537i/21590911._UX200_CR0,34,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":1275,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"Milly Cohen","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21590911-milly-cohen","contributor":null,"followersCount":417},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.WD5E3BvEK-J1asHDm0d0pQ":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.WD5E3BvEK-J1asHDm0d0pQ","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:21590911"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1731882500542,"createdAt":1712945336762,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1712945350388,"text":"No es fácil. Es Murakami y cuenta con mi amor incondicional.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNo es tan simple hacer una reseña de este libro porque es extraño, como todo lo que él escribe, porque me mantuvo a la espera, siempre a la espera de esas respuestas que de antemano sabía que no llegarían, porque no me defrauda en el sentido de que temía que no apareciera \u003cbr /\u003eel gato\u003cbr /\u003ela música\u003cbr /\u003eel amor\u003cbr /\u003ela muerte\u003cbr /\u003eel jazz\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ey todos esos elementos están ahí.\u003cbr /\u003ePero....\u003cbr /\u003eEn sí sus trayectos son los importantes y los finales, lo de menos, y en este caso creo que ocurre al revés: el trayecto fue, si bien, interesante, sombrío, enigmático, la mayor parte del tiempo, no tan apasionante como lo fueron otros trayectos que hemos caminado de la mano, me mantuvo atenta y un poco aburrida. Odié su nuevo estilo de repetir y repetir lo que uno lee como si fuera disléxico.\u003cbr /\u003eAl final, del que no me esperaba nada, me gusta, me deja pensar y soñar y tratar de ver si hay que entender y si vale la pena el esfuerzo.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePero si lo que debo decir es que me gustó o no, creo que no mucho, la verdad, es de los pocos libros de Murakami que no lo odio pero no me gusta como lo hubiera deseado.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLo anterior fue por tratar de hacerle justicia pero no sé si la merezca.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLástima. \u003cbr /\u003eLo que no elimino de mis emociones fue el orgullo de estar leyéndolo. Como si fuera mi papá. ","rating":3,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21590911?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6153905206"},"likeCount":16,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":2},"User:66432581":{"id":66432581,"__typename":"User","legacyId":66432581,"imageUrlSquare":"https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1728230879i/66432581._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg","isAuthor":false,"textReviewsCount":726,"viewerRelationshipStatus":null,"name":"spillingthematcha","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66432581-spillingthematcha","contributor":null,"followersCount":1044},"Review:kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.GarwzKe4vlY_JlAN9nnfTA":{"id":"kca://review:goodreads/amzn1.gr.review:goodreads.v1.GarwzKe4vlY_JlAN9nnfTA","__typename":"Review","creator":{"__ref":"User:66432581"},"recommendFor":null,"updatedAt":1730663345282,"createdAt":1729709036223,"spoilerStatus":false,"lastRevisionAt":1729709067227,"text":"„Miasto i jego nieuchwytny Mur” to niewątpliwie jedna z najbardziej surrealistycznych książek, przesiąknięta realizmem magicznym, którą napisał Haruki Murakami. Tuż obok takich książek jak dwutomowa powieść „Śmierć Komandora” czy „Kafka nad morzem” dość nieoczekiwanie zachwyciła mnie swoją niepewnością oraz oniryzmem. \u003cbr /\u003e•\u003cbr /\u003eGłówny bohater zauroczony nową poznaną dziewczyną zaczyna poznawać historię tajemniczego Miasta, którego mieszkańcy pozbawieni są Cieni. Ich pełne spokoju i harmonii życie owiane jest jednak wielką pustką. W tej powieści splatają się nie tylko dwa światy - rzeczywisty oraz ten pełen snów, ale jednocześnie czytelnik ma do czynienia z namacalną i angażującą fabułą, z niezwykle skreślonym porterem miasta w tle. Jest w niej coś przyciągającego, niemal hipnotyzującego, co sprawia że trudno oderwać się od lektury. Niezmiennie podtrzymuje, że autor ten spełnia się najlepiej wykorzystując realizm magiczny w swoich książkach, bogato budując świat przedstawiony, choć w tym przypadku nie unikając niewielkiego chaosu. Gęsta, mglista, wymagająca lektura, zacierająca granice ludzkiego postrzegania i tożsamości, a co więcej przepełniona metaforami już od pierwszych stron.","rating":4,"shelving":{"__typename":"Shelving","shelf":{"__typename":"Shelf","name":"read","webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/66432581?shelf=read"},"taggings":[],"webUrl":"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6917509446"},"likeCount":15,"viewerHasLiked":null,"commentCount":0}},"authContextParams":{"signedIn":false,"customerId":null,"legacyCustomerId":null,"role":"user"},"userAgentContextParams":{"isWebView":null},"userAgent":"Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0; SLCC1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506; .NET CLR 3.5.21022; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/book/show/[book_id]","query":{"book_id":"209192695-the-city-and-its-uncertain-walls"},"buildId":"9vAsBeFagmDI9UqbwbtXT","runtimeConfig":{"env":"Production"},"isFallback":false,"gssp":true,"customServer":true,"locales":["en","ab","aa","af","ak","sq","am","ar","an","hy","as","av","ae","ay","az","bm","ba","eu","be","bn","bh","bi","bs","br","bg","my","ca","ch","ce","ceb","ny","zh","zh-TW","cv","kw","co","cr","hr","cs","da","dv","nl","eo","et","ee","fo","fj","fi","fr","ff","gl","ka","de","el","gn","gu","ht","ha","he","hz","hi","ho","hu","ia","id","ie","ilo","ga","ig","ik","io","is","it","iu","ja","jv","kl","kn","kr","ks","kk","km","ki","rw","ky","kv","kg","ko","ku","kj","la","lb","lg","li","ln","lo","lt","lu","lv","gv","mk","mg","ms","ml","mt","mi","mr","mh","mn","na","nv","nb","nd","ne","new","ng","nn","no","ii","nr","oc","oj","cu","om","or","os","pa","pi","fa","pl","ps","pt","qu","rm","rn","ro","ru","sa","sc","sd","se","sm","sg","sr","gd","sn","si","sk","sl","so","st","es","su","sw","ss","sv","ta","te","tg","th","ti","bo","tk","tl","tn","to","tr","ts","tt","tw","ty","ug","uk","ur","uz","ve","vi","vo","wa","cy","wo","fy","xh","yi","yo","za"]}</script><script nomodule="" src="/_next/static/chunks/polyfills-e0b3461dc5011a76e3a2.js"></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/main-b6718209c8ab0eab38c6.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/webpack-000db67fb8cf36287a27.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~6e8b5f81.d04172a9e3f546af9b8f.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~2a42e354.c4cbf179959c0f147ee5.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~2963a976.0f990dba6bc331e4ed11.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~15ae29a2.1c50640f072bd90b1a8d.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~e097a484.9f95ca745c800831da64.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~313ef737.511455f20bdb823911a7.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~1bc8dce3.6f717542855382900a1e.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~39b4f4c1.998c243a1ffaa24be013.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~17b40a69.fdec47f5963e319d44fc.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~5656635d.780b616eab5ce6ce131b.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~b1a98620.55095a637b28e3a025b4.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~6e4a1e0e.98e6387502ee612bc28b.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~7274e1de.9e3a1126b410a4d2435e.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~1f20a385.bec533a099d187cd2d58.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~70aabc29.92167abe3767d712ea10.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~f9ca8911.318e001f1a315c788d5f.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/pages/_app-a615cb3b1f75dddcbad4.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/chunks/pages/book/show/%5Bbook_id%5D-b379fa1eb3f55f817e8f.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/9vAsBeFagmDI9UqbwbtXT/_buildManifest.js" async=""></script><script src="/_next/static/9vAsBeFagmDI9UqbwbtXT/_ssgManifest.js" async=""></script><div></div></body></html>