Oh my god I want to share my love for him.
I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, then The Elephant Vanishes, then Sputnik Sweetheart. Taking ages on each one to savour every single word printed.
Last night I finished Norwegian Wood..shocked by the relatively easy read it was, but so so moved. Murakami's motifs crop up in each book..winding springs, cats, wells, the seemingly mundane everyday things everbody experiences, but they're given deeper meaning. Unusual characters that are actually really relatable, and powerful moments that make you go "oooof" and brought me to tears!
But like, with all the critics going on about how what he writes is surreal and at the same time reflects the workings of the contemporary mind..I find feeling strongly opposed to the surreal part. I dunno, I guess the thoughts, emotions, concepts of his novels are too close to me..the sense of the sublime, the way love happens or doesn't..I think it hits me so hard because it IS reality. It's just that not everybody thinks about their experiences in the same way.
An example's when K hears music in the middle of the night in Sputnik Sweetheart..I swear that that's something most people have experienced. Compared to other writers, I feel that his work is a true reflection of humanity. It's amazingly liberating to be able to connect with his books on an imaginative level.
I'll be doing a photography project based on his novels and/or short stories in a month or so.
If you've got any comments on Murakami please let rip xD

Mary.