96 pages
English language
Published Dec. 1, 2022 by Knopf.
In a fantastical illustrated short novel, three people imprisoned in a nightmarish library plot their escape.
Orig: Fushigi na toshokan (Kodansha, 2005)
Art direction and design: Chip Kidd
Whoops! This is a short story. I thought it was a book.
I love Murakami's style, but it's an adult style. It doesn't fit so well for a simple fable told by a child.
Whoops! This is a short story. I thought it was a book.
I love Murakami's style, but it's an adult style. It doesn't fit so well for a simple fable told by a child.
This short fiction is exactly what I expected from Murakami; it's a surreal, weird, and engrossing read.
This short fiction is exactly what I expected from Murakami; it's a surreal, weird, and engrossing read.
Murakami channeling Borges. In addition to being a great, weird story, the book design is incredible.
The shortest Murakami I have ever read.
Det er den klart mærkeligste af Haruki Murakamis bøger, jeg har læst, og det er ellers ikke fordi, ingen af de andre er mærkelige. Jeg har svært ved at finde mening med den her, og den fangede mig ikke rigtigt - i modsætning til mange andre af hans historier.
That was shorter and weirder than I was expecting...
For an exceptionally short tale about an underground, labyrinthine section of a city library, this tale was fun and engaging. Although I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ending, I found the prose easy to consume and the story graspable, even for a younger reader. For an experimental short story, it was well crafted and unique. In many ways, it read like a Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale with a Japanese flair.
For an exceptionally short tale about an underground, labyrinthine section of a city library, this tale was fun and engaging. Although I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ending, I found the prose easy to consume and the story graspable, even for a younger reader. For an experimental short story, it was well crafted and unique. In many ways, it read like a Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale with a Japanese flair.
More, please!
My impression upon finishing The Strange Library: what the hell did I just read? Due to this, it took me quite some time to decide how I felt about The Strange Library to give it a rating and to write up a review.
The Strange Library was my first Murakami book and while I have been told it is a bit more eccentric than some of his other works, I've also been told it isn't too far off from what I should expect either. This leaves me unsure if I want to attempt reading any of his other work. The Strange Library felt as though it was written by a ten year old (or perhaps that it was only a first draft). There were far too many areas in which the story, or simply the text, felt clunky to me. The similes were unique, but often made no sense. The …
My impression upon finishing The Strange Library: what the hell did I just read? Due to this, it took me quite some time to decide how I felt about The Strange Library to give it a rating and to write up a review.
The Strange Library was my first Murakami book and while I have been told it is a bit more eccentric than some of his other works, I've also been told it isn't too far off from what I should expect either. This leaves me unsure if I want to attempt reading any of his other work. The Strange Library felt as though it was written by a ten year old (or perhaps that it was only a first draft). There were far too many areas in which the story, or simply the text, felt clunky to me. The similes were unique, but often made no sense. The extent of the surrealism of this particular novella would've been fascinating if it had a bit more drive to the plot. The characters were intriguing and I really liked the ethereal, not-quite-there girl, but I felt as though I was left wanting with these characters.
It cannot be denied that many of my complaints may also be things that were lost in translation - literally. But maybe not.
Perhaps I am not a short story reader. Perhaps I am not a Murakami reader. Perhaps the Strange Library simply wasn't for me. I can tell you that I was not especially fond of The Strange Library, but will still try another Murakami novel to make a final decision.
