Book Review: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Book 2

Title: 1Q84 [ Japanese: いちきゅうはちよん | ichi-kew-hachi-yon ]

Author: Haruki Murakami
Language: English (translated)
Translated by: Jay Rubin & Philip Gabriel
Original Language: Japanese
Date Published: October 25, 2011 (English language edition)
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate History, Parallel Worlds
ISBN: 9780307593313
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Jacket Design: Chip Kidd

---

This is my 2nd out of 3 reviews for 1Q84. You can find my first review for book 1 here.

What transpired in book 2 of 1Q84 really surprise me. It surprised me with some revelations and thrilling situations. There are characters from book 1 who became "irretrievably lost". The phrase "irretrievably lost" was mentioned many times in Tengo's side of the story. He felt being ostracized by his friend Komatsu (his editor) and his ex-girlfriend Kyoko Yasuda whom he's having sex with (adultery). He's not receiving any call from them til Tengo talked to the husband of Kyoko Yasuda. Kyoko Yasuda is now irretrievably lost.

On Aomame's side of the story, she also lost a friend. Confirmed irretrievably lost too. Her sex partner Ayumi is killed, hands manacled in bed in a Love Hotel. The death of Ayumi made Aomame remember the death of her past friends which became the origin why she became the assassin of the Dowager.

There's also part of the story that you may find uncomfortable reading like Tengo having sex with Fuka-Eri. After reading that part, I guess, you won't be back to your normal senses. You might say "What the f$^k did just happen?"

I'll just leave you with the following quote taken from book 2:

"In this world, there is no absolute good, no absolute evil. Good and evil are not fixed, stable entities but are continually trading places. A good may be transformed into an evil in the next second. And vice versa. Such was the way of the world that Dostoevsky depicted in The Brothers Karamazov. The most important thing is to maintain the balance between the constantly moving good and evil. If you lean too much in either direction, It becomes difficult to maintain actual morals. Indeed, balance itself is the good." - The Leader, 1Q84, pg. 477

My rating for 1Q84, book 2, is: 3.5 / 5.0

Thanks!

-
Otakore Literantadodist
February 02, 2016