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Wind/Pinball: Two Novels by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Faith in Murakami reaffirmed again! It's Murakami's first novel/s and he's already at the top of his game. I expected some awkward new writer things which get better with more writing but no, he had figured out his style and genre from the beginning.
I noticed some things this time. After reading a number of Murakami novels, I realised that his central character is the same all throughout his works. They have very similar qualities. It's a male, slightly introvert, unexpressive, easy, not speaking unless needed, containing emotions inside kind of guy. That character seems very cool to me. Another spectacular thing about this protagonist is they're all starkly unambitious, with no big dreams and particular agenda for life. His novels always have a slightly depressing, devoid of novelty in life, zen-like undertone, which make them so addictive.
In this set of novels, there are two central characters i.e. the protagonist and the Rat (Yes! real name not mentioned). Two novels are set three years apart describing incidents in their lives. There is no such plot or a defining twist and turn in the book which is rare in a Murakami book (but again, first work), still, it's very readable and addictive. I was hooked to it from start to finish. Looking forward to reading all of his remaining works.
All hail Haruki Murakami!
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