The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle | 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!

Follow us on Twitter! (#winditup2013)

If you did a write-up for your blog, click on Mister Linky below and add the direct link to your post.

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

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

What was your initial reaction after reading the first few chapters?

My initial reaction was that this was straight-up Murakami. It opens with the preparation of a simple meal, music is mentioned, a strange phone call interrupts the mundane. It’s expected if you’ve read any of his other books, but at the same time, it’s like coming home. It’s comforting and lulls me into a false sense of security.

What do you think of the characters? Do you have a favorite?

I am a bit further along in the book than I expected to be at this writing but what I’ve found is that my favorites keep changing. Since this is an update for book one, I’d have to say that in book one, my fave character is May. She’s odd but in a likable way. Innocent but at the same time, worldly. She puts things simply and what she says makes sense. I am intrigued by her.

What about the story? Is it interesting? Predictable?

The elements are predictable. Murakami has a thing for ears. Specifically the shape of ears. This book is no exception. Food preparation is always showcased in some way and with Toru, many of the meals are simple meals. Meals that you’d expect a single man to eat. A hint at what’s to come? Possibly.

There’s also the missing cat. Murakami loves cats or he hates them because they are often tortured or abused in some way (although we have not seen any abuse in book one). There is also prostitution and awkward sex! Let’s not forget the musical references. Murakami loves his music and will often insert musical references into his books. For 1Q84, the publisher created a Spotify playlist (might have to be logged in for that link to work) that I listened to while reading that book, but I didn’t find anything for this book. I’ve Googled a few of the musical references to hear the pieces though. Oh, and he is really into reading too so there are lots of literary references as well.

As for the story, it’s very odd. In book one, Toru lives a simple life with his wife, Kumiko. He’s unemployed and she works outside of the home. Their cat goes missing. A strange woman calls and tries to have phone sex with Toru. A rather odd neighbor girl (May) befriends Toru. There is a vacant alley that has some importance and a vacant house with bad vibes. Two sisters, Malta and Creta materialize. Both have special talents some of which are still being cultivated. There is a lieutenant with a story. It’s all so surreal and odd yet so compelling. It’s about as interesting as it can be without dropping acid before reading it.

Are you surprised by anything you’ve read thus far? If so, what?

I didn’t expect to fly through book one as quickly as I did. It’s more readable than some of his other books. I remember reading Kafka on the Shore and thinking about fifty pages in that this guy must have been hallucinating while writing the story. I didn’t have that reaction with this one. One thought seems to lead to another and there seems to be more of a flow to this story. I was a little surprised by the end of book one. I was warned that this particular part was gruesome and it was, but it didn’t weird me out as much as the cat scenes did in Kafka. Maybe because the actual scene in question was rather short and didn’t go on for that long. Or maybe the manner in which it was detailed was a little too clinical for me to be totally weirded out by it. Either way, I got through it without a hitch. I know from some of the comments on Twitter that this was not the case for most of you.

How does the writing make you feel?

Calm. Relaxed. He alternates between mundane and surreal which puts me in a dreamy state. Dreamy might be a stretch for some of the parts but I so often feel as if I am floating in a calm body of water. There is no “loudness” to his novels. Everything is quietly done, even torture! The flip side to this is that many of the characters come across as apathetic. Something happens, and their reactions are very measured. Maybe it’s a translation thing. My friend is reading it in Japanese and she said she’d let me know if the characters come across that way in Japanese. You remember the tsunami that hit Japan a few years ago? Such devastation yet the people were so calm. Maybe it’s a cultural thing.

What food or drink have you been craving since reading book one?

People that read Murakami for the first time expect there to be a lot of talk about Japanese food but most of his food references are not Japanese at all. He loves Italian food. Spaghetti is popular. Omelettes are popular too. And what is it about potato salad? But there is one dish that he cooked early on that involved beef and green peppers. I made that dish! I took pictures and everything. Here is a small photo. It was really good. But what I have been craving the most since reading book one is BEER. Yep. He mentions it quite a bit.

Beef Dish from Wind-Up

Anything else you want to add?

So far, this is my favorite Murakami book. That could change as I finish each volume but book one is staying with me far longer than any of his other books have.

You do not need to comment at all if you don’t want to! Next up, book two and we have until April 28th to finish it. Thanks for reading along!

Follow us on Twitter! (#winditup2013)

If you did a write-up for your blog, click on Mister Linky below and add the direct link to your post.

Chatting with friends about books and life…