Surreal, for Sure

"I just don't get it," was my response to reading my first  Haruki Murakami, his six-story collection, After the Quake (2002), set in the aftermath of the Kobe Earthquake of 1995. Prior to reading this book--the result of a work-related book club--all I was aware of was that his novel 1Q84 (2013) was quite the sensation and is still on many's "To Read" pile. As such, my expectations for this author were high.

I quickly began to readjust my expectations, however, after reading the first story, "UFO in Kushiro" which left me feeling incomplete and confused. Though the lead-in story, I thought it was the weakest of the collection.

After the Quake is the kind of book I think I'd appreciate more from conversing about it with others. Unfortunately, I didn't make my book group discussion, so my ambivalence about this collection and Murakami's writing style remains.

Marie K. who reviewed this book on Amazon wrote that this story collection "bear[s] all the hallmarks of Murakami's style: clean prose, sparing detail and surreal flourish." For readers to whom this style is appealing, this collection is a winner.

This is a CBR9 review.