Book Review | Book Chatter

Dance, Dance, Dance
By Haruki Murakami
(Vintage, Paperback, 9780679753797, 1995, 416pp.)

The Short of It:

Part mystery, part fantasy…Dance, Dance, Dance is a beautifully crafted, wicked-good example of a surreal story that works.

The Rest of It:

An unnamed protagonist is on a quest to find his missing girlfriend. Along the way, he plays chaperone to a wiser-than-her-years teenager, cavorts with call girls and reunites with a friend from high school who just happens to be a famous A-list celebrity.

Dance, Dance, Dance is actually the sequel to A Wild Sheep Chase. Although I’m sure it would have been better to read them in order, my enjoyment of the novel wasn’t affected in the least by not doing so. I was completely and utterly mesmerized the whole time through.

Murakami is a master of dialogue. When his characters speak, I listen. It might be the most mundane thing coming out of their mouths, but for some reason, I always find myself sitting on the edge of my seat when they speak. I think it has to do with the complexity of his characters. They’re complex, so their dialogue doesn’t have to be.

The other thing that works for me, are the surreal story elements. Normally, I cannot stand surrealism in literature. It usually takes me out of the narrative, but Murakami uses it carefully to emphasize the harshness of reality. I find myself completely willing to drink the Kool-Aid, and that says a lot.

As much as I enjoy his writing, and his continual references to Western culture, I know that many may not care for his writing style. This is the second novel I’ve read by him, and it too, contained quite a bit of sex and a bit of violence. Not enough to bother me though. The other thing that might bother a reader are the untidy, open-ended endings. Again, not a problem for me.

Is Murakami for you? The only way to tell is to actually read one of his books. He’s a rock-star to me but you already knew that…

Source: Borrowed

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Domestic Violets
By Matthew Norman
(Harper Perennial, Paperback, 9780062065117, August 2011, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

Domesticity gone wild!

The Rest of It:

Tom Violet is your typical office dweller. Unsatisfied with his job, he takes great pleasure in deconstructing the ridiculousness around him. But times are tough and the economy has tanked and with a wife and daughter to support, he’s glad to have a job. His real dream though is to be a writer. In fact he has written a secret novel, but with his own father just winning the Pulitzer, he’s hesitant to share his work. Struggling to get through the day-to-day, he finds himself attracted to a co-worker which further complicates things.

Domestic Violets is a jewel of a book. It’s funny, well written and honest. The characters are wonderfully developed and genuine. What I liked most about this book is that the development of the characters seemed effortless. Sometimes, when a book is humorous, even when discussing serious topics, the characters can be a bit “in your face” and obvious and that was not the case here. In each character, there existed a vulnerability; a sweet dose of self-doubt that made these characters very likable.

Although there was one moment were I questioned the self-deprecating humor, in the end I found myself loving Tom Violet. He may be the guy who throws paper airplanes your way when the board meeting goes stale, but he’s a good guy. The kind of guy you want as a husband or a father. I thoroughly enjoyed following him around for 350+ pages and was a little sad when I finished reading it.

In summary, Domestic Violets is a book that will appeal to many readers, young, old, employed or not!

If any of this sounds appealing to you, enter to win your own copy ! Details below.

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Source: Review and giveaway copy provided to me by the publisher via TLC Book Tours.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of Domestic Violets and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from me. Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes on August 26, 2011 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

This giveaway is now closed!

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