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South of the Border, West of the Sun

A Novel

By Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translator)

(167)

| Paperback | 9780679767398

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Book Description

In South of the Border, West of the Sun, the simple arc of a man's life--with its attendant rhythms of success and disappointment--becomes the exquisite literary terrain of Haruki Murakami's most haunting work.

Born in 1951 in an affluent Tokyo suburb, Hajime--beginning in JapaContinue

Critics

South of the Border, West of the Sun: A Novel

Review-a-Day Saturday, August 18th, 2007 Voice your opinion about this review by posting a comment on the Powells.com blog South of the Border, West of the Sun: A Novel by Haruki Murakami (Almost) All Will Be Revealed A review by David Hannon "My bir ... (read full critics)

powells published on Mon, 6 Sep 2010

A Simpler, More Physical Kind of Empathy

Talking to Jay McInerney in 1992, the year South of the Border, West of the Sun was published in Japanese, Haruki Murakami said that he wasn’t so much an international writer, as a non-national writer: ‘You might call it the Japanese nature that rema ... (read full critics)

lrb published on Fri, 3 Sep 2010

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7 Reviews

beautiful book about life, fate and connections...

I love this book! One of Murakami's books I really like, and think about a lot...
The key plot of this book is about meeting your childhood friend and falling for her when reunited some 25 years later, which may not sound all that exciting. Yet to me it's all about the details Murakami is able to fi ... (continue)

I love this book! One of Murakami's books I really like, and think about a lot...
The key plot of this book is about meeting your childhood friend and falling for her when reunited some 25 years later, which may not sound all that exciting. Yet to me it's all about the details Murakami is able to fill to make the characters 'live' that appeal to me most.
Like many of his books, this book is narrated in first person by the key character, Hajime and the story started with him describing his relationship with female starting from 12, when he met his first real friend Shimamoto, to when he met his wife and how that has changed his life. And how reuniting with Shimamoto some 20 years later has sent waves to his life.
To me this book is much more than a love story, it's more about connection with people, and how one thing leads to another (though fair to say almost all people Hajime became involved with were women!). Common taste in music, reading and the fact that they are both only child are all things that connected Hajime and Shimamoto in their childhood, and what they shared at 12 became something very special and treasured when they reunited in their mid thirties. Even though Hajime literally knew nothing more about Shimamoto since she was 12, he was so attracted to Shimamoto because of the past and what he knew about her didn't really matter. On the other hand, Hajime is now a married man and a father of two and also he arguably owes very much of his success with his jazz bar to his father-in-law. Where does that leave him?
If one is looking for answers and completeness in a story, this book is probably not for you. But if you want to allow your mind to dream on, Murakami does the trick every time, ever so effortlessly.

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olivia said on Jan 23, 2011 | Add your feedback

Not my favourite of Murakami's. Strangely, it didn't 'suck me in' like his books usually do, it really failed to move me, engage me, like for example Kafka on the Shore - my favourite to date - did. I just picked it up from bookcrossing though, so I'm not particularly disappointed.

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natalia said on Jul 26, 2010 | Add your feedback

NICE. LIGHT, MAYBE TOO LIGHT FOR ME

Good writing, nice and pleasant style but for me too light, weak content, no strongest feeling. Probably I need to read something more from Harukami to get a more thourough and complete opinion. Final vote: so so

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Vlfvs.In.Fabvla said on May 29, 2010 | Add your feedback

No matter where I go, I still end up me. (p.208)

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Siu Leung said on Oct 11, 2009 | Add your feedback

Literary Eroticism

Murakami is so "literary" in feeling that one can forget how erotic and sexual almost every facet of the story is. This is a story of a long lost love returning and causing dark ripples and complications in a married man's life. It is eminently readable and the eroticism does add spice to the page t ... (continue)

Murakami is so "literary" in feeling that one can forget how erotic and sexual almost every facet of the story is. This is a story of a long lost love returning and causing dark ripples and complications in a married man's life. It is eminently readable and the eroticism does add spice to the page turning. However, this book has profound sections that explore relationships in all their mystery and tragedy.
I had the feeling throughout this book that it was written for women in particular. The emphasis on relationships, personal angst, sexual self-image, romance, tragedy, marriage, and so on, gave me this overall impression. But that in no way means I do not recommend it to everyone. It is very well written and certainly not superficial in its character portrayal. Guys will certainly enjoy the sexy bits yet also appreciate the undercurrent of menace, violence, death, and the eye-opening take Murakami manages to have on intimate relationships and intense sexuality. Men really are way deeper than they sometimes get credit for - Murakami is just the spokesman for men who never seem to be able to get it or say it quite right, giving the impression they do not also get lost in a partner once in a while.
So, in summary, easy reading with a few weird twists that keep the pages turning rapidly. This short book should not last too long on a rainy day.

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Ramnagel said on Jun 14, 2009 | Add your feedback