South of the Border, West of the Sun

This is not a very Murakami-esque book, but its depth can still blow you away. There are so many ways of thinking about this book, and what it is saying about life. South of the Border, West of the Sun describes, respectively, a place that you thought was desirable but might not be so, and an unreachable state. For reasons never explained, Hajime and Shimamoto cannot be together (it makes you wonder if Shimamoto is married or having an affair with a triad boss; she has never worked but dresses very well and can only meet Hajime for a while). And yet even if they are together, would that be better for both of them? Hajime's 'hole' may be filled, but he would be abandoning his wife, Yukiko, and children. Yukiko turned out to be the book's show more surprise. Almost invisible, she impresses with her clarity and strength of character. Towards the end of the book, she told Hajime that "you don't ask anything". Indeed, we are often so self-centred that we neglect the people around us. Everything may appear well but in truth it is not. show less

South of the Border, West of the Sun is a truly fine title. I wish the book had lived up to this promise.

As the first and only Murakami book I've read, it will be the last since obsessive, selfish male adultery doesn't interest me
anymore than women entering a man's life knowing that will destroy his family.

The author's delving into the inner life of only children was insightful, as was his early friendship with Shimamoto.

That the plot delved into sleazy lies and cheating was very disappointing.
readers may also tire of hearing about his girlfriend's Salems and her endless smile.as she tries too hard to be enigmatic.

No Will Power?

At less than 200 pages, it would be a great place to start with Murakami; "Norwegian Wood" is often recommended for this purpose but this is quite similar in content and style as well as being less than half its length.

Narrator Hajime is a typical, somewhat passive, Murakami protagonist, solitary, bookish and into music. He is an only child, unusual in postwar Japan apparently, and teased at school as a result until, at the age of 12, he meets another, Sanimoto. She is a polio victim, and has a pronounced limp as a result, but Hajime is captivated by her, although their ages means their relationship is very chaste. However, he moves away to another part of town and a different school and loses touch as a result.

Hajime drifts aimlessly show more through his teens and twenties, taking a dead end job at an educational publisher. He loses his virginity to a girl called Izumi, but their relationship ends badly, which Hajime feels guilty about and comes back to haunt him. He then marries Yukiko, the daughter of a wealthy construction magnate, with whom he has two daughters. His father-in-law helps him to start a jazz club, a job for which he realises he is well suited.

On the surface, Hajime's life seems perfect, until Sanimoto walks back into it and he realises he is still obsessively in love with her. However, she will reveal very little about herself and her circumstances, and disappears for long periods of time. Hajime wrestles with his conscience about what to do next.

"South of the Border, West of the Sun" does not come with the surrealist touches of other Murakami novels like "Kafka on the Shore" - no talking cats here. However, Hajime is a sympathetic character I liked very much and the prose is beautifully simple. Highly recommended. show less

Most of the time I read murakami books for their immersive dreamlike environment. Once finished though, I find that I rarely think about the book I've just finished. This was not the case with this book. There were important themes about Life choices. Having to choose between different desires -- some raw passion vs wise -- and having to live with the consequences of those choices. Hajime was a flawed character but also relatable. Shimamoto made me think of the ones that got away. Izumi made me think of all of those folks that hurt me or vice versa in love and life. Yukiko the stable virtuous partner that doesn't cause someone pain and as such doesn't elicit passion. Even the themes around her father being a corrupt businessman or the show more early story about being an only child or interesting and have stayed with me. show less

The Short of It:

Success and happiness don’t always go hand in hand.

The Rest of It:

Okay, guys. My love for Murakami is approaching full-on creep level. If I could shrink him down and put him in my pocket, I’d carry him around all day long. Weird, huh?

I saved this book for a long time because it was the last translated novel that I had not read but when my father passed away and I was unable to pull myself out of bed, I reached for it and Murakami’s writing did what I expected it to. It soothed, refreshed, made me ponder life in a big way, and all of a sudden all these feelings were rushing through me again.

This is probably one of my favorite novels, ever. It’s right up there with Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. show more It’s a plain, simple story about a middle-aged man by the name of Hajime. He has a loving wife, and two beautiful daughters. He owns a couple of very successful Jazz clubs and enjoys the life he’s earned. But deep down, there’s something missing.

Not fully understanding this sense of longing, he’s reminded of a girl he knew in childhood by the name of Shimamoto. She was his everything but that was a long time ago. Is it possible that she even remembers him?

Memory plays a big role in this story and it’s beautifully handled. Murakami paints vivid, broad strokes when it comes to Shimamoto so it’s easy to see why Hajime is so taken with her. In childhood she’s this beautiful, delicate untouchable thing but when she walks into his club one rainy evening, Hajime begins to doubt his own existence and is no longer sure what happiness is.

This novel is full of romantic interludes but I hesitate to call it a romance because it’s much deeper than your typical romance novel. If you are familiar with Murakami’s writing at all, you know that his books can walk the surreal line. Some of his books are way out there, like Kafka and Wind-up but others are more subtle and this one is definitely one of the quiet ones but oh, how I loved it. That last page! That last line. Sigh.

If I want to try Murakami, which book should I read first?

Everyone always asks me which book to read first. It’s really hard to say. I read Kafka on the Shore first and it was like an acid trip. At page 50 I was about to give up on it and then something clicked. But that’s me. I like it when an author surprises me. But I think about 75% of you would run screaming from a room if you picked that one up first.

So then, to be on the safe side, I usually suggest After Dark, which dips into the surreal but not overly so but if you like excitement then that one might not work for you. Then, there are his short story collections. Some of you adore short stories and some of you don’t. But, I have to say that South of the Border, West of the Sun is the one I will recommend for first time readers from here on out. It’s beautifully written and well-balanced. Not too much of any one thing which makes it a good read for first-time readers of his work.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter. show less

I fancied a short book so opted to pick this off my TBR and give it a shot. I have loved the previous books I've read by Murakami this year and hoped this would not let me down.

Hajime bears a lot of similarities with Murakami himself in that he has a love of literature and opens a Jazz bar in Japan. Music plays a huge part in this book and somehow Murakami manages to really pick the perfect story for the music. Star Crossed Lovers by Duke Ellington is mentioned a few times in the book so I decided to dig it up on youtube. In short, its perfect for the story, or the story is perfect for the tune.

The female characters are melancholic, mysterious women who rarely let us into their inner thoughts. I always find the female characters far show more more interesting than the male ones and it make me wonder what happened to Murakami in his early life to lead him to create the female characters that he does.

Like Norwegian Wood this book creates wonderful dream like images in my mind. I don't know how he catches the mood in the way he does, he is like a god damn wizard :smile: He manages to grab my emotions like no other writer and he really gets inside my head and my heart. After finishing this I felt pretty emotionally drained, again, I have no idea how he does this.

I have more to say but I don't know what or how. This is a book that will resonate in my head for a long time to come. show less

South of the Border, West of the Sun is one of Murakami's better works, if only because it eschews all that is unnecessary. It has long struck me (and as a diehard Murakami fan from a young age, it should be understood that this critique is quite tempered) that Mr. Murakami's greatest weakness as a writer is his longwindedness. Often his work has a floating quality to it, but he so expertly captures the mundane qualities of ordinary life that the reader manages to stay grounded anyway, to plod along and discover what that ineffable something is that rests at the bottom of all of these wells.

South of the Border, West of the Sun does not suffer from this problem.

Instead, it is a novel which is immaculately compact and feels just in place. show more The loneliness of the only child is captured more completely by this novel than anything else I have ever read, and I defy a man in his 20s to not find something of profound resonance in these pages. The prose is stark and clean but still maintains that impossible-to-appropriately-describe Murkamian magick that keeps so many of us coming back for more.

If you only read one piece of literature by Haruki Murakami, it should probably be this one. show less