Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

I have heard about Haruki Murakami, but has been quite reluctant to try reading his books. I found out that unless I really like the genre or the stories that the specific authors write, I usually cannot appreciate their books. These would include Neil Gaiman and even Paulo Coelho. While I appreciate their books, they are usually not easy reads - at least, not for me.

However, I finally decide to buy and read one of his books, and I picked up Sputnik Sweetheart. I started reading the book without knowing the genre that Murakami usually writes. It was, fortunately, a quite easy read for me. I finished it within 5 days (with probably just an average of half an hour each day). It was one of those novels where you just could not put down.

But here is the beauty of it - the novel touched me in many ways and made me think and wonder, but at the end of it all, I have to admit that I don't really know what this novel is about. The words, the prose, the stories are suspenseful and hypnotic. The narration brings me deep into the loneliness, the isolation and the confusion of the characters. And yet, there are times when I could not help but wonder - "Why is he telling us this? What is the significance of this section?". It is beautiful in the way that it is written, it is provocative in the story and yet it is confusing in its ending.

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