Frankly speaking I was not an avid book reader till I read Haruki Murakami’s “After Dark “. I know its not amongst the best books of his but somehow it connected with my emotional state at that point of time and I enjoyed it. Since then I have never been able to stop my addiction of reading books especially books by Haruki Murakami.
Haruki Murakami’s characters are strangely very similar to real life people I have encountered and some of them are like me. Its like he is writing about me had I been in Japan. His characters especially the protagonist is not someone without faults and blemishes but someone who is practical but confused. This closeness to real life of the characters and yet the elements of magical realism in his work makes reading his books an experience which cannot be expressed in words.
Haruki Murakami explores the themes of loneliness, solitude and individuality to a deep extent. I m an individualistic person as such I greatly admire such elements in a writer’s work. Some of his works may seem dark but then there is a strange sort of beauty even in his darker works.
Haruki Murakami is not an author whose works I feel can be speed read for the simple fact that his work involve deep allegories which can only be enjoyed while reading slowly. Haruki Murakami’s views on love as expressed in his works is beautifully confounding yet its surreal and I can’t stop admiring.
Nowadays there has been a buzz that he is going to win the Nobel prize. I wish him well to win but Nobel or not Haruki Murakami will continue to be my favorite writer. There are many other reasons why I love reading Haruki Murakami but there aren’t enough words in my vocabulary to express .
