The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel (Vintage International)

The fiction, the fame and the personality of Haruki Murakami constitute an unprecedented triumph of contemporary literature for all of us to cherish and honor around the world. Devoted to a narrative poetics of a dream of another logic of existence, Murakami embodies a splendor of re-imagining audacity that is distinctly of the highest achievement of the artistic sensibility of our times. Murakami's body of texts is an epic dream of defamiliarizing storytelling of displacement of consciousness beyond waking life and known finalities. An assault of art and soul in a colossal ambition of meaning, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a towering performance of narrative consolation that can only be read in a trance as a text of bliss. Every chapter of the 3 Books and 68 Chapters of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a shuffling shade of a visionary dream in a dazzling palette of gnosis of a storyteller as seer. The story of a failed marriage is spun in breathtaking narrative invention as a surreal extravaganza of human fate in a gorgeous pastiche of voices, styles and genres panning human meaning from the gross to the sublime. Written by the only writer in the history of literature who is also a marathon runner, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is nothing short of a narrative marathon of total genius that cuts the ribbon of enlightenment. The cat of Toru Okada's wife Kumiko disappears in the opening pages of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and a search for the cat ensues that turns into a phantasmagoria of unsettlement of consciousness in eerie occurrences of borderless mutation of dream and reality of 607 marvelous pages. An ordinary cat disappears and along with it ordinariness itself. From the mesmerizing story that Murakami tells us we may infer that in searching for what we lose we may recover more than we lost because in our search we had the courage like Toru to lose who we ordinarily are and find who we are at "the core." In The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the world is a "defiled" place. "Defilement" is a foundational error of the human self being split into two by a diabolic "power." Every major character in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Toru, Kumiko, Creta, Lieutenant Mamiya and Cinnamon) is differently split into two and differently searching for a lost wholeness. Noboru Wataya, the brother of Kumiko, personifies the sinister metastasis of "defilement" that spreads and invades as a glamorous "power" of seducing and splitting evil A perplexed loser, Toru seems an Everyman whom Murakami selects to search for meaning deeply and literally in a "well" and surrounds with saviors of the soul like Mr. Honda, May Kashara, Lieutenant Mamiya and Nutmeg Akasaka and saves almost fully. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle reads like a medieval Morality play retold as a contemporary magical allegory of a postmodern psychomachia. As it draws to a close after an epic spell of storytelling, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle convinces us that it has told an ancient tale of the perils of the soul in an evil world and the ultimate victory of Good over Evil in a hypnotic surreal plot with real characters and magical action and mythical perfume that is the most imaginative narrative contemplation of human fate in our times. The story of Toru is a surreal edition with Murakami's idiosyncrasies of imagination, enchantment of craft and majesty of wisdom of the eternal story of Everyman. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a secret almanac of the soul--the lost soul, the searching soul and the saved soul--as a postmodern magical novel of mad loveliness and aching wonder. The act of reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle--moving from page to unfathomable page of an astonishing novel of voice after bewitching voice, mood after surprising mood, moment after mysterious moment and story after strange story of the encyclopedia of the human enigma--is its own incomparable meaning. However, if the reader cannot avoid asking at some point or the other of this fabulous script and the spell it casts what the writing and the reading of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle amount to, the answer can only be that it is about the ultimate human search for Murakami and his reader: saving the soul--that it is what Murakami has done in the way he knows best as an author to save his soul: by telling a story at the deepest recesses of an esoteric imagination and what we as readers ought to do in the way we know best as readers to save our soul: by losing ourselves in saving grace in the form of a novel of the highest generosity of narrative wisdom and compassion in contemporary literature. I doubt if anyone can read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle without choking in thanks for being saved in the magical opulence of imagination and wisdom and compassion of a transcendent novel of hell and heaven and the human soul by a storyteller as savior.

I remember reading somewhere that Haruki Murakami’s books are among the most-stolen from bookstores. I’m not sure why that is, but there’s no denying that the Japanese author has very devoted fans. Reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was my first experience with him, and left me both sort of getting it and sort of not. It’s a hard story to describe: there’s a guy, Toru Okada, who lives outside of Tokyo with his wife, Kumiko, and their cat (which they’ve named Noboru Wataya, after her disliked brother) has gone missing. Toru has recently left his longtime job in a lawyer’s office, but is unemployed while he tries to figure out what’s next. Kumiko wants him to find the cat, and his searches for it lead him to strike up an acquaintance with a strange teenage girl, May, who lives down the block. That’s when the phone calls start. First, there’s a woman who says she knows who he is and starts talking dirty to him. But then there’s a psychic, a woman named Malta Kano, who explains that Kumiko has reached out to her to help with locating the cat. Kumiko and her family believe in things like psychics, having previously arranged for Kumiko and Toru to spend time with an old man called Mr. Honda, allegedly for spiritual consultations…but all that actually happens is that he repeatedly tells them about his experiences as a soldier in Manchuria during World War II. Toru meets with Malta Kano, and her sister, Cresta, but before long Kumiko herself disappears. She sends Toru a letter explaining that she’s left him for a coworker with whom she’s been having an affair, but he doesn’t believe this and decides to try to find her, which brings him into contact with even more strange people, including a mother and son who he calls Nutmeg and Cinnamon. And appearing throughout is the sound of a bird, that sounds like something mechanical being wound. This is a weird book, and I’m not sure I entirely understand it. It’s one of those that you finish and almost want to flip right back to the beginning and start again, to see if it makes any more sense the second time through. I think there will be a second time through, though certainly not now. And there will definitely be more Murakami. If I had to chose a single word to describe it, it would be “dream-like”. The way Murakami uses language and builds the world of the book create a feeling of constant loose connection, almost a structured free association, in which the concept that would tie everything together is just tantalizingly out of reach. It works well, and I found myself turning the pages and getting drawn further and further into it, though I suspected (correctly) that not everything was going to be tied up in a neat bow by the end. Honestly, though, once I finished it, though I felt like I liked it, I have had a hard time articulating exactly why. It was obtuse, the female characters were largely underdeveloped (though I did love May), and it felt like some storylines were just dropped like hot potatoes. But despite its flaws, it’s strangely compelling. There’s something magical and mysterious about the world as Murakami creates it, and it did get me thinking about some of the deeper themes that were explored, like our obligations to each other as people and the nature of power in relationships. It’s intellectually engaging despite the kind of haziness about it. If you’re ready for something non-traditional, I would recommend this book.

I began reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle driven by a desire to dive into more Japanese literature, especially after having previously enjoyed Haruki Murakami’s other works. What I encountered was both exactly what I expected—and completely unlike anything I had imagined. This novel is a story of surprises. It doesn’t just tell a tale; it disorients, shifts, and restructures your understanding of reality. Blending magical realism at its finest with undertones of existential horror and an undefinable sense of mysticism, it creates a narrative that’s as immersive as it is elusive. I especially loved the first-person perspective, which drew me directly into the protagonist’s strange, dreamlike journey. So many moments in the book felt like puzzles (like the guitar-case man) —not because they needed solving in a literal sense, but because they invited symbolic or metaphorical interpretation. That ambiguity is part of what makes the book so gripping. Another compelling layer of the novel is how it weaves in real historical events—particularly Japan's imperial involvement in Manchukuo and the Soviet presence in the region at the time. These elements added a striking, almost documentary depth to the otherwise surreal flow of the narrative. The cast of characters is also a highlight. The protagonist’s encounters—especially with the various enigmatic women around him—were constantly engaging. These women are not merely characters; they feel like symbolic forces: baffling, alluring. Each one brings a new emotional tone or existential question into the story. This isn’t just a story—it’s an experience. A layered, unsettling, and strangely beautiful one. Easily a 5 out of 5 stars.

This long - O – O- story is proof that there are no rules in our writing, so just tell your story and stop worrying about all that other crap they’re trying to convince you of. I wasn’t totally interested in every B story but I was always totally engaged.

" The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel " by Haruki Murakami Japan, 1984; "Everyman" Toru Okada has recently quit his job at the Law Firm and is at home making spaghetti when he receives an unusual call from an unknown woman. The woman claims to know Toru and presents him with evidence and wants to talk to him so that they can "Understand each other". Toru dismisses her quickly and goes back to cooking. It turns out that this is only one of many strange things to happen to Toru which include, his family cat running away, his wife mysteriously going missing, and introductions to a very unusual cast of psychics, politicians and an unusual 16 year old girl who lives down the alley from Toru amongst others. All of this seems to have happened while an unusual bird cries in the back ground. A bird Toru has never been able to see and has never heard anywhere else. Its strange cry sounds as if it were winding a spring. Toru and his wife have taken to calling it "The Wind-Up Bird" ...... This was an interesting yet sometimes meandering read. Japanese writers seem to tell stories in a vastly different way than westerners and this is one of the things that make Murakami's stories interesting. There seems to be more emphasis placed on the supernatural, philosophical view points, and metaphysics. These are all prominent issues in "Wind-Up". Also we are given a glimpse at Japanese culture and the Japanese psyche. This is the second book of Murakami's I have read with " Kafka on the Shore " being the first. The Good: Murakami's writing has a way of keeping you interested. Even sections that would typically come across as mundane or boring if written by someone else still seem to come across as interesting or unique. As seems to be the case with Murakami, we are introduced to very unique and interesting characters and somewhat fantastical situations which is part of the charm of Murakami's writing. The Bad: There are parts where "Wind-up" feels a little overwritten or a little meandering. I felt that a little too much time was being spent on some of the ancillary tales he used to explain some of the side characters and their involvement in "Wind-Up". Some of his ideas were a little too abstract at times as to how certain things worked and peoples actual capabilities. I can't be too specific on that without giving spoilers. Overall: "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" wasn't a bad read overall though if you haven't read Murakami before I wouldn't recommend you start with book. If you have read him before and enjoyed his work "Wind-Up" is worth checking out but it along with all of Murakami's work is not likely to be for everyone.

4.5 stars, rounded to 4 The stories are completely different, but in style and structure this book reminded me a lot of Kafka on the Shore. It has the same magical realism, strangeness (which is a good thing, BTW), and surrealism. It even begins with a missing cat. (In Kafka, lost cats are a major thread.) And as in Kafka there are a very few, but highly explicit, scenes of bloody violence. I didn't like it quite as much as Kafka, because it doesn't have the passion of the love story in Kafka. But I did like it very much, and for the same reasons - the most important being its extreme originality. Murakami's is a world like no other. As is characteristic in his novels, there are many seemingly unrelated threads that, in the end, all come together in a way that makes sense, at least according to the rules of the bizarre world of each book. In The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, some of the threads are: the wind-up bird (of course), the lost cat (followed by a lost wife), a teen-age neighbor girl who works for a wig company, dried-up wells, the same disfiguring mark on the cheeks of two unrelated men, people (including a prostitute) with strange powers, a house that seems to be bad luck for anyone who owns it, a zoo in Outer Mongolia, an evil brother-in-law. And most important of all, and to me the most interesting: the Japanese occupation of Manchuria (an area of China) during World War II. I had read other books about the Japanese invasion of China and the atrocities committed there by the Japanese. It was fascinating to read about it from the Japanese point of view. Murakami doesn't flinch from showing some of those atrocities, but he also shows us that the Japanese invaders experienced their share of hardship and great suffering. We see how terrible war is for both sides, and what it is like for soldiers who are forced to do ghastly things to other human beings. And we see the inhuman monsters who actually enjoy the suffering of others and force others to do terrible things to each other. I also learned a lot about the reasons for the invasion of China - the history and politics of the area, which was strongly influenced by the proximity of the Soviet Union and Japan's relationship with it. This isn't the easiest book to read. It is rather slow, and until the end the various story lines don't seem to have any connection with each other. It's not a book for fans of action and thrilling adventure. Although there is actually plenty of adventure in it, it is related in a surreal and dreamy manner. The book requires some commitment and thought on the part of the reader. But for those who enjoy intellectual stimulation, a writer with a boundless imagination, and fiction that is really different, I would highly recommend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. (607 pages) Quotes from The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: "A person's destiny is something you look back at after it's past, not something you see in advance." "I happened to lose my life at one particular moment in time, and I have gone on living these forty years or more with my life lost. As a person who finds himself in such a position, I have come to think that life is a far more limited thing than those in the midst of its maelstrom realize. The light shines into the act of life for only the briefest moment - perhaps only a matter of seconds. Once it is gone and one has failed to grasp its offered revelations, there is no second chance. One may have to live the rest of one's life in hopeless depths of loneliness and remorse. In that twilight world, one can no longer look forward to anything. All that such a person holds in his hands is the withered corpse of what should have been."

Mr.Murakami always makes me sad when the book is finished being read. I always want more so onto his next

As a first-time reader of Murakami, I can enthusiastically recommend THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE. It is that rare work that contains labyrinthine byways and countless layers and themes (from fate and our sense of multiple selves to the constant human urge to break through metaphoric walls, and on and on) and yet reads with a pleasing storytelling lilt. This is genuine surrealism that contains shades of dire darkness and exultant light. A beautiful, magnificent novel.

Fast delivery and very nice cover Like it !

After leading a just too normal life, still --stagnant, one would say-- the main character of this story leads to the unknown -- he is looking desperately for his wife-- down into the corridors of the unconscious --his unconscious, anybody's unconscious.... A light in the dark, this work is a masterpiece that surpasses magical realism: it's got something else. What is that something else that Murakami presents in each book? A profound understanding of the psyche. A great reading experience.

Murakami jak zwykle świetny, to się rozumie samo przez się. Jednak druk tej książki jest o wiele mniejszy, niż np. 1Q84 tego samego wydawcy. Na początku małe literki bardzo mi przeszkadzały, miałam wrażenie, że umniejszają wartość tej świetnej książki. Potem się nawet przyzwyczaiłam, ale i tak uważam, ze tak nie powinno się publikować książek. Chyba, że na okładce da się ostrzeżenie, że literki miniaturowe. Nie rozumiem, dlaczego tak wydano tę powieść, nie ma ona nawet połowy liczby stron, co trzy tomy 1Q84, wydane w jednym tomie i normalnej wielkości czcionką.

Loved it. Murakami is a genius

Bisher kannte ich Herrn Murakami nicht - ich muss es gestehen. Anlass eines seiner Bücher nun zu lesen, war mein erneuter Versuch, meine kläglichen Englischkenntisse aufzufrischen. Jetzt habe ich die Hälfte hinter mir und bin gefesselt: Die Geschichte eines Anti-Helden. Erst verliert er seinen Job, dann läuft seine Katze weg, dann seine Frau, noch dazu mit der Begründung, dass sie mit ihm keine sexuelle Erfüllung gefunden habe. Armer Kerl. Murakami erzählt dicht und mehrschichtig, lässt Grenzen zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit verschwimmen. Er beschreibt Momente mit Präzision, dehnt diese eigentlich kurzen Augenblicke und lässt sie mit allen Sinnen wie in Zeitlupe erfahrbar werden. Er flechtet neue Figuren in die Geschichte ein, gebrochene Charakter, eigenwillig, ungewöhnlich, traumatisiert, die alle scheinbar einen Umgang mit ihrer jeweligen Biografie gefunden haben. Ich stehe freiwillig sehr früh auf, um noch eine halbe Stunde lesen zu können, weil ich unbedingt wissen will, ob und wie der unglückliche Held aus seinem Labyrinth findet.