Book Review | Book Chatter

Sputnik Sweetheart
By Haruki Murakami
(Vintage Books, Paperback, 9780099448471, 2006, 224pp.)

The Short of It:

In true Murakami fashion, all of the elements are here. A love triangle, a mysterious protagonist known only as K, a beautiful setting and buckets of ennui.

The Rest of It:

It’s no secret how much I love Murakami but this book seemed the most balanced to me. The characters are strange and deep, in the way they usually are but not overly so and the conflict presented, happens to be something any reader can relate to.

Sumire, is this deep, untouchable writer-type who has the talent to write, but can’t seem to effectively gather her thoughts into anything more than just a few words on a page. She’s frustrated and shares her angst with her male friend, known only as K. He sees her potential but at the same time is blinded by his passion for her. Sumire is not interested in K as a lover. Instead, she meets an older woman by the name of Miu, and falls in love with her. Miu shares a very special friendship with Sumire, but does not want to be her lover. This rejection, throws Sumire into a deep well of despair and when Sumire goes missing while vacationing with Miu in Greece, Miu calls K to help find her.

So. Much. Angst. Oh, how I love angst!

These characters are torn between love and passion. They love each other and have passion for one another but the feeling is not mutual. As hard as this is for K, his concern over Sumire outweighs his frustration over the situation. He drops everything to find Sumire and in the process, realizes that some alternate universe exists and that the world as he knows it, will never be the same.

The beauty of this book is the writing itself. It’s delicate. Like taking tiny, measured tastes of a delicious pastry. So many people ask me which Murakami to read first. I am always torn because it really depends on your mood at the time, your tolerance for ennui and angst, etc. But this one would be great for anyone wanting to give Murakami a try. His books can be sexually explicit, but this was tame in comparison and the tone, mild.

Out of all of his books, this is one of my faves. I read this with a couple of other readers for #readingsputnik and it was just what I needed to jolt me out of the reading rut I was in.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

World War Z
By Max Brooks
(Broadway Books, Paperback, 9780307346612, October 2007, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

Slightly different take on the zombie stories you’ve read before.

The Rest of It:

I think everyone has read this one or at least seen the movie starring Brad Pitt, but it took me forever to read the book. I finally got to it just because The Walking Dead ended for the season and I was still twitchy for more zombie action.

It’s different from anything I’ve read before because it’s told through survivor accounts and interviews. Right away, you know that there are survivors and that the world did not, in fact, end with the plague. I must say that knowing this up front sort of lessened the suspense factor for me a little bit. The thrill of reading about the apocalypse is that you never know how it’s going to end. Here though, many of the accounts are provided by the military and what these men and woman went through while fighting in World War Z. Some handled it better than others but I was most taken with the civilian accounts. Some, very detailed.

Overall, it was an interesting read for me. Entertaining without being over-the-top or unbelievable. I think its “real” factor is what makes this book work and that such a thing could happen anywhere makes this a chilling read. I have not seen the movie, but I have been told by others that the movie is the scarier of the two.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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