Haruki Murakami
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pub Date: May 9, 2017
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
To begin this review, I would like to feature a quote from one of Haruki Murakami's earlier novels,
South of the Border, West of the Sun...
"Rain
falls and the flowers bloom. No rain, they wither up. Bugs are eaten by
the lizards, lizards are eaten by the birds. But in the end, every one
of them dies. They die and dry up. One generation dies and the next one
takes over. That's how it goes. Lots of different ways to live. And lots
of different ways to die But in the end that doesn't make a bit of
difference. All that remains in a desert."
Life is
basically a desert, Murakami muses. But Murakami sees oases occasionally
springing up that gives us some meaning if to only ourselves. Sometimes
they are mirages but even mirages leaves memories. I believe he sees
that hint of meaning mainly in relationships, especially the
relationship between man and woman.
In
Men without Women: Stories,
Murakami's superlative thematic short fiction collection, we are
introduced to men who are alone for different reasons in their lives.
Some unintentionally and some by design. Some are divorced and some are
widowed, and some never really found that oasis. Even when they do, it
may be fraught with mystery and pitfalls. Each tale features a man who
is either telling his story, or relating one of another, and ruminating
over the haunting encounter,. These are tales that may seem simplistic
but derives meaning from their relation to our own lives and struggle.
Each of the seven pieces of fiction are excellent examples of
storytelling and psychological drama of the most subtle kind. With the
exception of one, maybe two, there is none of the author's magical
realism and their points may fly by the reader only to be caught after
the reading is well contemplated.
"Drive My Car" is about an
actor who hired a female driver to transport him around the city. His
wife has passed away and it first appears like the plot will focus on
the man's relationship with his driver. But that soon changes as he
tells his driver about his wife, her affairs and his attempt to discover
why she had affairs when he maneuvers a friendship with one of her
ex-lovers. It is a good example how Murakami can make strong emotions
and regrets almost conversationally reflective.
In "Yesterday",
Kitaru suggests that his friend Tanimura go out with his girl friend. It
is Kitaru's strange solution to his concern that Tanimura has not had a
girlfriend in a long time. Again, what would go off in one way for the
conventional writer ends up in a study of Kitaru rather than the
bewildered and slightly hapless Tanimura. The end reflects a common ploy
in much of Murakami's works in that the resolution of the story comes
with a reunion of the characters many years in the future when distances
reveals meaning.
"An independent Organ" is another tale where
the main narrator is telling the story of a Dr. Tokai, one of those
individuals whose relationship with women is constructed in affairs and
brief encounters. Tokai is a bit of a suave scoundrel who finally falls
in love with tragic consequences. It is the most beautiful tale of the
collection in my opinion.
"Scheherazade" is about a man who
cannot go outside for reasons that are not made clear. He is given a
"helper" who becomes his lover and tells him stories after their
lovemaking. In typical Murakami style, her stories become sort of a
confession that give insight to both the teller and the listener.
Is
"Kino" magical realism? I'm not really sure. This story about a man who
opens a bar and gets a odd regular is rather mysterious. The woman/man
connection is very vague here mostly referring to how Kino finds a
purpose after the end of his marriage. It is also the only story in
which a cat plays a role. This may be a strange thing to say if you
haven't read much Murakami. The Murakami fans will know what I am
talking about.
"Samsa in Love" is a play on Kafka as an insect
wakes up and find himself transformed into Gregor Samsa. The
transformation seems rather pointless to the new Samsa. Then he meets a
woman...
the collection ends with the title story. It is fitting
it is the last tale as it brings the rest together. A man receives a
call from another man to tell him a former girl friend from years before
died. Then he abruptly hangs up. Our narrator has not seen this woman,
she was not married at the time of their friendship, and he never knew
the man who called. It turns into a reminiscence about chance encounter
and wraps up the tragedy of having little control over those who have
the most meaning for us...
"It's quite easy to become
Men Without Women. You love a woman deeply, and then she goes off
somewhere.That's all it takes. Most of the time (as I'm sure you are
well aware) it's crafty sailors who take them away. They sweet-talk them
into going with them, then carry them away to Marseilles or the Ivory
Coast. And there's hardly anything we can do about it. Or else the women
have nothing to do with sailors, and take their own lives. And there's
very little we can do about that too. Not even the sailors can do a
thing"
Men Without Women may be Murakami's
best short fiction collection to date. It reads quickly but is deceptive
in how much is going on within these well crafted tales. Even though I
find his novels to be the real meat of his writings, I do not hesitate
to recommend this collection as one's first journey into Murakami's
world. it's that good.
Optical Delusions is the second of Shea Hunter's series called Mail Order Massacres.
They are based on those comic books ads children of all ages are
familiar with. I'm sure you remember them. The "Sea Monkeys" that were
just brine shrimp and made the water smell bad. The "submarine" made out
of cheap card board and fell apart when it actually touched water. The
3-D glasses that boasted you will be able to see through people's
clothes and did no more than give you a headache. Shea's first book of
the series, Just Add Water covers the Sea Monkeys and a third installment will center on the submarine. Optical Delusions, as you already guessed, covers the glasses.
