LoT Book CLub - Book 2 - Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Ok, finished it today. I have to spend a bit of time processing it but I absolutely loved the first part and, and first consideration anyway, found the last act pretty lame (from the appearance of Nutmeg on). Kind of like a weaker Stephen King novel.

Once again proving that Alex and I are the inverse of each other most of the time.

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by Euro

Okay, I finally got to the scene I was hoping a second read would make more illucidating - the boy watching the two men bury a cat/infant body - and I still wonder:

Spoiler:

Wow, I'd forgotten about that. I had no clue who it was until GD mentioned Cinnamon. That kinda bugs me now. WTF happened there? Who were the men, what were they doing?

[Alex]

When do we get to stop talking in spoiler tags?

[Alex]

I was browsing the reader reviews of the book at Amazone to try and help me put my thoughts in order and came across this review that might be of interest. A quick search didn't turn up any other mentions of this so I don't know if it is accurate but thought the people more familiar with Murakami may have heard about it.

Link, don't know if it will work.

Many of the previous reviews do a great job of discussing this novel, and I will not repeat that discussion here.

But what the previous reviews do not mention is that the American publishers, Knopf, forced Murakami and his translator, Jay Rubin, to significantly abridge the original Japanese text. The casual reader would have no way of knowing this, and, indeed, I only noticed because I was reading alternating chapters of the book in English and Russian translations. Half-way through the novel, entire chapters suddenly started disappearing from the English-language text. Puzzled, I went back to the copyright page of the English-language edition, where, for the first time, I noticed the cryptic notation that the book was not only translated but also "adapted from the Japanese."

How much of the original text was "adapted" away? I don't read Japanese, but, based on a comparison with my Russian-language translation, which appears to be complete (no Russian publisher would commit such a travesty on an award-winning novel), it seems that something like 15-20% of the text has been cut. For those of you who find the English-language text of the "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" choppy, or puzzling, or seemingly incomplete, at least some of the blame lies at the feet of the American publishers who decided, unilaterally, that American readers cannot handle a long book.

Anyway, the upshot is that if you can comfortably do so, try to read the "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" in a non-English translation. Or, if you can't, demand that Jay Rubin's original and complete English-language translation be published.

[Alex]

Didn't search hard enough. Here is an email exchange between Jay Rubin and some other people (the whole thing is interesting but I linked to relevant email).

Knopf did require a cut of about 25,000 words for the hardcover edition which has been carried over into the later editions. Murakami suggested a certain number of small changes but overall it was done by Rubin. Interestingly, for the Japanese paperback version Murakami included the small excisions he recommended to Rubin (but not the big ones made by Rubin) so in Japan the hardcover and paperback versions are a bit different.

To further amend my remarks above the WWII stuff, which is mostly in the final act is incredible and within the final 15 pages there is a page and a half that is the best writing I've read in a very long time. As a technical matter of writing the last act of the book is just as good -- and at times better -- than the first part but by then I no longer much cared about the larger story being told.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Didn't search hard enough. Here is an email exchange between Jay Rubin and some other people (the whole thing is interesting but I linked to relevant email).

I thought we covered that early on with the wikipedia entry here. But that may have been confined to a discussionI had in another Murakami board. Those who know assure me the changes are not that dramatic and were all done with the approval and oversite of Murakami. (also the cuts are supposedly not as drastic as the publisher requested). Still it sucks and I'd rather have the complete work for my reading - but until I learn Japanese it'll have to do.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

When do we get to stop talking in spoiler tags?

Nevah!

Welcome to Spoiler Tag Hell. A cat will be along shortly to show you to your room.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm assuming at the spoiler tags will be dropped at the end of this week, which will make a full 4 weeks.

[wendybeth]

I feel at a bit of a disadvantage in that this is the first Murukami book I've read, but I am impressed enough to be okay with that. Better than okay. Sometimes, it seems like everything has already been said, done, exploited to death and there is nothing new in lit. I'm very happy to have (hopefully) discovered a 'new' author who makes me want to really read again, like I used to when I was in high school and college. I definitely plan on reading more of his works.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Spoiler:

He may be other things in addition to passive, but I would definitely use the word passive as ONE of the adjectives I'd use in describing Toru. Although he does take action at certain times, he lets things happen to him quite a bit. I just was reading where he finds Creta naked, next to him in bed. He basicially does nothing about this situation but cover her with a quilt. Then he falls asleep again on the couch. Then they have this very odd conversation over breakfast and Toru that is completely unlike any conversation I've ever had. So very accepting to her odd story of showing up at his house sans clothes.

Spoiler:

I agree, he certainly took action when he quit his job. That was a bold move, but it seemed like he didn't have any plans after that, then he became passive and sat around, waiting for something to happen.

It's interesting when he describes his garden as only getting light for a very short amount of time during the day, very similar to the experience he and others will find in the well.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by DreadPirateRoberts

Spoiler:

It's interesting when he describes his garden as only getting light for a very short amount of time during the day, very similar to the experience he and others will find in the well.

Great observation!

I finished Book 2 last night and have been looking back for a conversation netween Toru and May (or maybe it was Creta) about hate. She(?) says something about hate being something that is not separated from you, it is connected to you and that, when you lash out in hatred at someone, you are lashing out at yourself. However, I can't find this passage anywhere.

What brought it up to me was the dream of the man with the guitar case.

Spoiler:

In Toru's dream, after Toru beats him up, the man with the guitar case (Norobu?) takes out a knife and peels off his skin. The skin then slinks across the floor and completely covers Toru. I thought this was an illustration of the passage I read earlier (but can't find) - how hate ends up effecting you as much as the person you hate.