Desire: A little nugget of Murakami’s Mastery
Haruki Murakami has been an alluring name for me. A work of Haruki Murakami, ‘Kafka on the shore’ has been on my bookshelf untouched for a couple of years now. I had even picked it up but somehow couldn’t go beyond 5-10 pages and that book got left behind. However, this anthology of 5 stories came handy to start my friendship with Murakami’s literature.
I had read this one in late 2019 has not yet taken my friendship with Murakami’s work further than another short story of his called ‘The Strange Library.’ But today, let’s focus on ‘Desire’. Vintage classic has created this Mini series dedicated to everything in human life from birth to death. Every book revolves around one aspect of life through the works of one of the world’s great writer. There can not be anyone better than Murakami to write about desires in human mind.
What to expect from this?
The way Murakami writes his stories is very engaging. Story keeps flowing and take you with it till the end. It pulls you in as you read it. His stories has an underlying layer of an alternate reality which keeps hinting through a suggestive atmosphere of a main story. but this reality will keep alluring you.
This book is a collection of 5 stories. These are selected gems from three of his short story collections which deals with undercurrent of human desire. He has successfully woven these stories around hunger, lust, longing and love. I have one quote that remained with me till this date from the story Birthday Girl in this collection.
“No matter how far they go, people can never be anything but themselves.”
Birthday Girl, Haruki Murakami
From the blurb
You’ve just passed someone on the street who could be the love of your life, the person you’re destined for – what do you do? In Murakami’s world, you tell them a story. The five weird and wonderful tales collected here each unlock the many-tongued language of desire, whether it takes the form of hunger, lust, sudden infatuation or the secret longings of the heart.
Selected from Haruki’s Murakami’s short story collections The Elephant Vanishes, Blind Willow Sleeping Woman and Men Without Women.
About the book
- Book Name: Desire
- Publisher: Vintage Classics
- Published on: 8th June 2017
- ISBN: 9781784872632
- Length: 109 pages
- MRP: ₹ 199.00
My Rating
Storyline: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Cover design: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Where to get your copy
- Amazon
- Kindle eBook
- Bookshop near you
Should you read it?
Are magical realism, subtle hint of alternate reality and strong human emotions the ways to your heart? Then you should desire to pick this one up! Murakami’s words wont disappoint you at all. If you have already read these stories, do tell me how you like them.
This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023. For more about my views on books, click here.
I have always been wary of picking up a Murakami but short stories I could do. Thanks for the recco 🙂
Same is the situation for me. I haven’t touched the “kafka…” Even now