Recently in books: modern fiction Category

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
[Nejimaki-dori kuronikuru]

Genre: Zen-Like Contemplative Japanese Fiction
Author: Haruki Murakami (1997)

review in one breath

After losing his cat, the laid-back and unemployed Toru Okada embarks on a bizarre adventure which not only jars him out of his mundane existence but calls into question the fabric of his waking Reality. If you're reading this you are likely interested in cutting-edge contemporary Japanese Horror and Superstition. I don't claim to be a literary critic, but from what I know and love of this genre I truly want you guys and gals to consider reading some of this stuff as its crests in Western literary circles.

Real World [Riaru Warudo]

Genre: Urban Youth Culture - Crime Drama

Author: Natsuo Kirino (2008)

review in one breath

In an urban Tokyo neighborhood, the world of four high school girls is turned inside out when an acquaintance brutally kills his mother and flees using one of their bikes and cell phone. Progressively told from the perspective of each of the four girls and the killer himself, this novel plumbs social and relational depths facing contemporary Japanese youth. This is the latest novel by author Natsu Kirino to be translated into English.

After Dark [Afutā Dāku]

アフターダーク

Genre: Zen-Like Contemplative Japanese Fiction
Author: Haruki Murakami (2007)

review in one breath

In the darkest hours of night, between midnight and the break of dawn, when humanity succumbs to its natural, evolutionary escape from life and work in the form of dreams, a potentially unnatural and dream-like Reality emerges, revealing a transient depth which most waking souls know nothing of. This is the latest national best-selling novel by ethereal Japanese author Haruki Murakami whose unique obsession and compelling explorations deftly capture the often blurred boundary between the conscious and the subconscious, the natural and the supernatural.

Kafka on the Shore [Umibe no Kafuka]

Genre: Exemplar Contemporary Japanese Fiction
Author: Haruki Murakami (2005)

review in one breath

Just in case you are not amongst the cutting-edge literati, I'm here to tell you that Japanese author Haruki Murakami has trumped the (U.S.) 'National Bestseller' list with two novels which are WELL worth your consideration as fans of Japanese Supernaturalism, hints of traditional folk lore, and downright strange goings-on. If you're looking for a good summer read, this is definitely one to put on your list.