Title: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (Goodreads)
Author: Haruki Murakami
Translator: Philip Gabriel
Published: Harvill Secker, 2014
Pages: 298
Genres: Contemporary
My Copy: Hardcover
Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle (or visit your local Indie bookstore)
Tsukuru Tazaki was lucky enough to have four close friends in high school. They were a tight knit group and they all shared their hopes and dreams with each other. When it came to college Tsukuru went off to Tokyo to pursue his dream career while the others remained in Nagoya at various schools. They vowed to remain close and Tsukuru made an effort to visit as much as possible. That was until one day Tsukuru was told that the other four wanted nothing to do with him anymore.
I am not going to go too much into the plot; I think this is something that needs to be discovered within the book. However I do need to talk a little about it. Tsukuru Tazaki had always felt like an outsider, even though he was accepted into the group for a while. He was always colourless in a group of colours; Akamatsu (which means red pine), Oumi (blue sea), Shirane (white root), and Kurono (black field), while his name means ‘to build’. Essentially this is a novel about friendship, rejection, isolation and the psychological scars that can be caused by others who never took that into account. There is a whole other side that can be explored but that would involve spoilers.
I had a rocky start with Haruki Murakami; the first book I read was 1Q84 and lets face it, this is the worst place to begin. I was exposed to the world of Murakami with the awkward fetishes and magical realism but 1Q84 was ultimately a little clunky and way too big. Luckily I am a bit of a hipster and picked up What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and while I’m not a runner, I found it to be an interesting read. It wasn’t till I read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World that I truly understood his brilliance. I still have a lot more to read but Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage was a perfect next choice.
I have often heard people recommending beginning with Norwegian Wood because it is rooted in realism and I would like to think Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage would work as well. I obviously haven’t read Norwegian Wood yet but the idea of beginning with some of his realistic novels before getting into the magical realism and exploring the weirdness of Murakami’s brain is probably a good idea. His style is a little unusual but once you get an understanding of how his mind works you should be readying do dive into something fantastical.
What I have found reading Haruki Murakami is that he has a strong interest in both the conscious and the subconscious. His books explore the complexities of the mind and how different situations have a psychological impact on a person. This is a really interesting theme and one that I am particularly interested in; if I knew that a long time ago, I am sure I would have been more willing to explore his works. Even What I Talk About When I Talk About Running explored this theme and it was a memoir.
I do wish I didn’t begin with 1Q84 but after a few other books, I finally can say that Haruki Murakami has another fan. I am keen to read all his other books; both fiction and non-fiction. There is something enthralling about the way a mind works and I really like the way that Murakami explores that. While Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage was far from perfect, there are some weird and awkward moments in the writing that I believe is synonymous with his writing style but I found this a captivating read. I have reserved Norwegian Wood at the library and I am hoping to read that one very soon.
Great review. This is next on my list of books to read. I don’t think I’ve read a bad review. Am starting to really look forward to it. Emma.
I hope you enjoy it
An author I have yet to read, must do but now I know which book to not start with
Norwegian Wood is the one to go with but this is probably a good starting point. I recommend you try this author, he is go
An author I have yet to read, must do but now I know which book to not start with
Norwegian Wood is the one to go with but this is probably a good starting point. I recommend you try this author, he is go
I started with 1Q84, but I loved it!
The third book, granted, went on too long and got rather confusing. My problem then, when reading Colourless, was I kept waiting for the creepy, weird alternate universe thing to quick…and it never did.
The Running book was a great insight into Murakami’s mind and habits – I loved it too.
I think 1Q84 is long winded and the translation probably wasn’t the best. I like that he writes some straight contemporary fiction, it doesn’t always needs to be weird. I think he uses alternate reality and magical realism really well to explore the psyche but if he didn’t need that in this book and it still worked really well
I started with 1Q84, but I loved it!
The third book, granted, went on too long and got rather confusing. My problem then, when reading Colourless, was I kept waiting for the creepy, weird alternate universe thing to quick…and it never did.
The Running book was a great insight into Murakami’s mind and habits – I loved it too.
I think 1Q84 is long winded and the translation probably wasn’t the best. I like that he writes some straight contemporary fiction, it doesn’t always needs to be weird. I think he uses alternate reality and magical realism really well to explore the psyche but if he didn’t need that in this book and it still worked really well
I’m one of his new fan to. I became one after reading Tsukuru Tazaki’s. I made a comprehensive review about his book here: http://www.literateknolohitura.com/2014/10/haruki-murakami-colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage.html
It’s an unpredictable book. You wouldn’t know who did what but they never meant to be revealed.
Thanks!
I’m one of his new fan to. I became one after reading Tsukuru Tazaki’s. I made a comprehensive review about his book here: http://www.literateknolohitura.com/2014/10/haruki-murakami-colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage.html
It’s an unpredictable book. You wouldn’t know who did what but they never meant to be revealed.
Thanks!