“The reason why death had such a hold on Tsukuru Tazaki was clear. One day his four closest friends, the friends he’d known for a long time, announced that they did not want to see him, or talk with him, ever again.” And this is the story of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.
I’m liking
I found this book very easy to read. There was a sense of mystery about it, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next and also why Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends had suddenly cut him off.
I also liked the way the author and translator described Tsukuru Tazaki’s first impressions of people, including his ideas of their upbringing based on their clothes and speech.
There were also stickers with the book! That’s a fun touch.
I hadn’t ready anything by Murakami before, and I felt that anything was possible in the story, even though most of the time the events were quite normal, everyday happenings.
Things that made me go hmmmm
I enjoyed reading about characters in Japan, but I found that the translation used quite American English, which was a bit jarring at times.
The conclusion
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading contemporary literary novels! I would particularly recommend the book to anyone interested in reading about Japan (although I think the story is quite universal). There is also a musical theme running through the story, which might make it even more attractive to music fans (especially fans of Liszt).
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is available from Fishpond for around $38.
