The story takes its time to develop: each chapter can penetrate a little deeper into the intimacy of Aomamé and Tengo, while gradually revealing the fantastic character of the plot. The novelist evokes hyperrealism various aspects of the daily life of his characters, the menu of their meals to their sexual practices, with so natural that even the crudest scenes lose their shocking appearance.
No description boring though: you never get bored, because each chapter is based on a narrative tension, in the tradition of the popular novel or manga. The end of Volume 2 leaves the reader two shots theater and frustration: highly Volume 3!
This book therefore provides enormous pleasure reading and devour in one sitting. But it is also a learned book, nourished by references to the cinema, music and literature, which offers a reflection on the art of the novel and its relation to reality. Murakami offers a setting in abyss with Tengo, the character of the novelist, and plays like a virtuoso with the reader, creating expectations, sowing signs, opening the wrong track.
What is the true meaning of this novel? A reflection on the modern world? A meditation on art? A great love story? More book progresses, it deepens ... Yes, strongly Volume 3!
Some references: George Orwell's 1984; Mishima The Golden Pavilion; Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, followed by Through the Looking-Glass; Dostoyevsky The Brothers Karamazov; Chekhov's Sakhalin Island
