Book Review | Book Chatter

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Book Two)
By Haruki Murakami
(Vintage, Paperback, 9780679775430, 1998, 624pp.)

This post shares my thoughts on book two. If you are reading along with me and have not finished book two, save this post for later as it may contain spoilers.

In a nutshell, what takes place in book two?

A lot happens in book two. Kumiko goes missing and we find out why. Toru has a run-in with Noboru, Kumiko’s brother not the cat. Toru stands up for himself, for once. We learn more about Creta and it’s even more bizarre than what we initially thought! She’s a prostitute of the mind. I will let you ponder that one. Toru, in despair over Kumiko’s disappearance decides to spend some time in a dried up well. What he doesn’t expect though is that May will take it upon herself to see that he stays there. As Toru spends some time in the well, we learn more about the early years of his marriage. As a result of his time in the well, a mysterious black mark appears on Toru’s face. Creta tells her story of the rape and it’s not pretty. It involves the removal of organs or beings which caused a division of flesh and spirit. The end of book two does not end well for Toru and if you read between the lines, it’s clear that he’s becoming unglued.

Which part of book two did you enjoy the most?

The part that I enjoyed the most was actually the parts where Toru was in the well. This voluntary seclusion that turned into something else fascinated me. For one, I never expected May to do what she did. She’s always been a “go with the flow” kind of gal but I did not expect her to get involved in that way. Her power over Toru at that point made me very angry. I wanted to know where she was going with it, but at the same time, pulling up the ladder seemed like a bratty, childish thing to do and I wondered if she had any point at all in doing what she did.

With his hunger and extreme thirst, his time in the well is spent hallucinating but as a reader, you’re never sure of what’s imaginary and what’s real. I was riveted to the page during this part of the story. I felt as if everything meant something so I read carefully, trying to discern the meaning behind every little thing.

Each chapter has a unique title. Which title is your favorite so far?

“The Story of the Monkeys of the Shitty Island” but, I have to tell you “No Good News in This Chapter” is a close second. Some have expressed their frustration with the chapter titles but I’ve been using them to go back to parts of the book and with them being so unique, I find them a big help when trying to find something.

What if your favorite quote in book two?

I have several but this is the one I remembered to write down:

A certain kind of shittiness, a certain kind of stagnation, a certain kind of darkness, goes on propagating itself with its own power in its own self-contained cycle. And once it passes a certain point, no one can stop it–even if the person himself wants to stop it. (Wind-Up, page 202).

What is the significance of Kumiko’s abortion?

Toru explains that they weren’t ready for a baby and left the decision up to Kumiko, but I can’t help but think that the “abortion” is somehow related to Creta’s defilement by Noboru. The removal of self, the division of flesh and spirit. Perhaps this is when Kumiko became the bloodless, robot that I consider her to be??

Kumiko’s letter is an explanation of why she did what she did, but do you buy it?

Kumiko is frustrating in many ways. She’s very reserved and detached. Almost robot-like. Her letter to Toru is wrought with feeling, but it doesn’t come across as genuine to me. I think there is more going on with her disappearance than what she lets on. This part of the story remains a mystery to me.

Without commenting on book three, what do you make of the mark on Toru’s cheek?

In my mind, he’s transforming into his “other” self or his other self is coming out. This theme of re-birth seems to be rearing its head all over. May suddenly gets motivated to go back to school, Creta moves from numbness into her 3rd self and now Toru’s act of violence on the guitar guy leads to a horrible dream about skin overtaking him.

For fun, make a prediction on what happened to Noboru the cat. Where is he? What happened to him?

It’s possible that we’ll never know but another blogger did mention that she seemed to recall finding out in book three but she read it so long ago she couldn’t remember. The well seems too obvious. It’s also strange that the cat is named after Kumiko’s brother. My guess, and I am sure I am way off, is that Noboru IS the cat. That his other self is feline.

Anything else you want to add?

I found book two to be much more interesting but at the same time, it was harder to keep straight. I found myself going back to my notes quite a bit. I think we are at the point now where what happens in one book will also be mentioned in books two and three so keeping them all straight might be more difficult.

Your turn!

What do YOU think so far? If you want to comment, add a comment to this post or use the hashtag below to find us on Twitter. If you did a write-up on your blog, use Mister Linky below to add a link to it. You can also click on the Mister Linky button to view the links that everyone has posted thus far.

You do not need to comment at all if you don’t want to! Next up, book three and we have until May 12th to finish it. Thanks for reading along!

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Orphan Train
By Christina Baker Kline
William Morrow & Company, Paperback, 9780061950728, April 2013, 273pp.)

The Short of It:

Alternating between heartbreak and hope, Orphan Train is a story of resilience and survival.

The Rest of It:

Molly Ayer is a foster kid, trying to make do with the life she’s been dealt. At seventeen, she’s been bounced around from one family to another; none of them a home. Her current situation is no better. Willful and defiant, she often argues with her foster parents and when she steals a book from the library, she finds herself in a boatload of trouble. Her friend, Jack, finds her a community service opportunity helping an elderly lady clean out her attic. Molly’s not too excited about spending all those hours helping a perfect stranger. But as Molly gets to know Vivian and the history contained within those boxes, Molly begins to realize that they have more in common than she thought.

The story is told in alternating chapters and takes us from Vivian’s story in 1929, to Molly’s story which takes place in 2011. Vivian’s story is absolutely heartbreaking. Losing her family in a fire, Niamh (pronounced Neev) is placed aboard a train of orphans. The train stops in each town with the hopes of finding homes for the children aboard. Niamh, at ten years of age is already considered too old to adopt. If she finds a home at all she is guaranteed life of hard labor. Whether it be taking care of children or working her fingers to the bone doing mending or cleaning or whatever else comes to mind. She also quickly realizes that she won’t be able to retain the name given to her by her family. Her fierce red hair and Irish descent raises an eyebrow everywhere she goes so when a family steps up and offers her a place in their home as a seamstress, she quickly learns that she’ll be Dorothy. Something that she is forced to accept and a practice that is repeated until she settles on the permanent name of Vivian.

Vivian’s story is riveting, but as sad as it was to read about her poor living conditions as a child. I found myself gravitating towards her chapters more so than Molly’s. Molly is difficult to like. She assumes the role of troublemaker by dying her hair dark, wearing a nose ring and playing the all-around bad girl. Only those very close to her know that she’s not that way. Her friend Jack for one, and perhaps her guidance counselor, but her story did not pull me in as much as Vivian’s, so I didn’t feel as connected to Molly as I wanted to be.

However, when these two unlikely characters meet, Kline does a good job of weaving between the two stories and figures out how to make them come together in a satisfying way. My only quibble, is that the ending was a tad rushed and perhaps, too convenient.

Nevertheless, this is a riveting story and highly readable. I should mention that these trains actually existed. Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe but it’s true which of course makes the story even more interesting.

If you’d like a shot at winning the book, I have a copy to giveaway to one of my readers! Details below.

Christina Baker Kline

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Source: Review and giveaway copy provided by the publisher via TLC Book Tours.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of Orphan Train and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the publisher. Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes on April 30, 2013 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

Click here to enter the giveaway.