After the Quake

Stories

by Haruki Murakami

160 pages

English language

Published May 13, 2003 by Vintage.

ISBN:: 978-0-375-71327-9

(19 reviews)

The six stories in Haruki Murakami’s mesmerizing collection are set at the time of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake, when Japan became brutally aware of the fragility of its daily existence. But the upheavals that afflict Murakami’s characters are even deeper and more mysterious, emanating from a place where the human meets the inhuman.

An electronics salesman who has been abruptly deserted by his wife agrees to deliver an enigmatic package—and is rewarded with a glimpse of his true nature. A man who has been raised to view himself as the son of God pursues a stranger who may or may not be his human father. A mild-mannered collection agent receives a visit from a giant talking frog who enlists his help in saving Tokyo from destruction. As haunting as dreams, as potent as oracles, the stories in After the Quake are further proof that Murakami is one of the …

6 editions

The Gnome King reviewed After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

Review of 'After the Quake' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I am a big fan of Murakami, he can take you on a magical journey into a reality which could go in any direction and you are guaranteed to be left with many questions that you are able to answer with your own ideas after the story has finished…that is how it works with his full length novels. Short stories don’t work as well, the 6 stories in this collection are fantastic but they are not long enough, the characters don’t get a chance to develop and you just start to get intrigued when the story ends.

My favourite story was about the bloke who built bonfires on the beach, he really shows the art of building a good fire, but all that happens at the end is you are left wanting more…I was even left wanting more of the kids story within the last story in the book. I’m not sure what the underlying theme is here, it could be men’s inability to show love or it could be about how a bear goes about selling honey, whatever it is about I wish there was more…I might have mentioned that already.

If you are starting out on Murakami’s writing don’t start here.

Blog review: felcherman.wordpress.com/2021/05/27/after-the-quake-by-haruki-murakami/