The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first pages of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle are filled with quotes from critics: “Mesmerizing,” “Compelling,” “Bold and generous,” the list goes on and on like posters at the box office of a Broadway play. I'm not sure I would have finished this novel if I hadn't known the level of critical acclaim it has received. Haruki Murakami breaks so many rules, it feels as if halfway through a football game the team owners decided to drop all controls and allow the players to have a street brawl. Yet once I made the effort it takes to read this novel, I found the accolades were justified. It's not a book to get lost in. It's a book to learn from, to appreciate for its unique qualities and for the way these qualities might influence other writers.

This is the story of Toru Okada, a young Japanese husband who loses both his cat and his wife. He seems to have a similar response to both those losses, going out in search of the cat while also maintaining a concern for his missing wife. This is the first taste of an aspect of this story that is unusual. People care about each other, but not with a great deal of emotion. Throughout the novel we pull for Okada to find his wife and reconcile with her, but it is more about reestablishing order than it is about love. A Newsday critic said this book presents “A vision no American novelist could have invented...” As a reader, I also have a very American perspective, which may be why I find this a bit strange.

Okada's wife, Kumiko, has a brother, Noburu Wataya, who is a prominent politician and someone involved with Kumiko's disappearance. He is an excellent speaker and very popular, but also quite corrupt. He is Toru's nemesis throughout the story. Noburu Wataya is also the name of the cat, which is an attempt at irony on the part of Kumiko and Toru.

Another interesting character is May Kasahara, a young, school age girl, whom Toru meets while searching for his cat. She calls him “Mr. Wind-Up Bird,” because she has trouble remembering his real name. The name comes from a story he tells her about a bird whose call sounds like the winding of a giant spring. May tells Toru things like, “You might think you made a new world or a new self, but your old self is always gonna be there, just below the surface and if something happens, it'll stick its head out and say. 'Hi.'” May is a foil for Toru's odd thoughts.

Two other important characters are the sisters, Malta and Creta Kano. Malta is the first of the two to contact Okada, who has been told in a phone conversation with Kumiko that he needs to speak with her. They meet and have a very odd conversation where he learns about Creta. Later he has an erotic dream with Creta in it and when he meets her she knows of the dream and says, “I am a prostitute. I used to be a prostitute of the flesh, but now I am a prostitute of the mind. Things pass through me.” The book is filled with strange, seemingly disconnected events and people, who come together in odd ways.

In the latter part of the novel, the story branches off to tell about the Japanese control over Manchuria beginning in 1931 and the joint Mongolian-Soviet resistance. These are some of the most violent, but authentic parts of the book. These sections lack the dreamlike qualities of the rest of the novel, but they include people and incidents that are interconnected with the rest of the story.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.


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The Huntress by Kate Quinn

The Huntress by Kate Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Huntress is an interesting, but flawed novel. It is the story of a band of Nazi hunters who get caught up in chasing a woman who is also a war criminal. She is important to them for personal reasons as well as the normal reason of seeking justice that has motivated all their past searches. The novel switches back and forth between the perspective of this group and the point of view of Jordan, a young American woman whose mother died when she was seven. Jordan's father has chosen an Austrian woman to be his second wife, but Jordan has mixed feelings about her stepmother to be.

The story of the Nazi hunters starts out powerfully with a description of the crimes committed by the woman they are chasing, while Jordan's story takes a little while longer to get going. Although the book could have been tightened more in editing, once the American scenes get going it reads well.

One of the Nazi hunters is a Russian woman from the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia. She's a tough individual who has led a rough life with an alcoholic and abusive father. Her story is fascinating and fun to read. She makes a nice balance with Jordan, who is leading a typical life in post World War II America, but also has an inner strength motivated by her dream to be a professional photographer. These two characters make the book special.

The main problem I had with the novel was its ending. I won't spoil the book by telling specifics, but I will say there were some scenes I found unrealistic.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.



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The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott

The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Ninth Hour, the title of Alice McDermott's novel, refers to 3:00 PM. During biblical times 6:00 AM was considered the beginning of the day, therefore 3:00 PM was nine hours into the day. This is the time when Jesus died as stated in Matthew 27. In the novel it is a time of prayer for the nuns and a time of indiscretion for one of the main characters. The depth behind the choice of this title is a good example of McDermott's careful writing style. This is what I like the most about her books, her attention to detail.

The novel is a portrait of Irish Catholic immigrant lives during the early twentieth century, especially the lives of the nuns. In this case, the order of nuns we see (The Little Nursing Sisters of the Sick Poor) are running a home for people in need, as well as going into other homes to care for the sick. The picture we get of these nuns shows both their heroic nature and their human flaws. They lead lives filled with changing diapers, replacing wound dressings, and dealing with depressed people who have been cheated by life. I can't say it is a pleasant read, but it is an excellent chance to get into the hearts and minds of people worth remembering.

Here is a quote that captures the feel of this well written novel:

“Sister St. Saviour did, of course. But the woman, childless, stubborn, coming to the close of her life, had a mad heart. Mad for mercy, perhaps, mad for her own authority in all things—a trait Annie had come to love and admire—but mad nonetheless. Riding home from the cemetery, Sister St. Saviour had said, “It would be a different Church if I were running it.”

Steve Lindahl author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.





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