I accidentally bought the combined books 1 and 2 on Kindle so, a very long time later, I’ve finally finished the first two books of 1Q84 (translated by Jay Rubin). Now I’ve got to get the third. I’ve been meaning to read something of Murakami’s for an age and I can’t believe I waited so long. The title plays on the homophone of the Japanese number nine, which sounds like the English Q, as well as referencing George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Although it’s a translation of the Japanese novel, 1Q84 clearly differs from the Western literary styles I’m familiar with (obviously as it’s Japanese), and the fantastic elements of the narrative combined with this makes for a stellar read. It’s all in the details and, as things start to fall into place, it’s truly magical to read. It’s by no means a light read as I was constantly trying to nut out what was real and what wasn’t, but I’m keen to read more of Murakami’s work.
