KILLING COMMENDATORE BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

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BOOK NAME: KILLING COMMENDATORE 

AUTHOR NAME: HARUKI MURAKAMI

GENRE: MYSTERY/ FANTASY

PUBLISHER: VINTAGE BOOKS

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Killing-Commendatore-Haruki-Murakami/dp/1784707333


BOOK COVER IMAGE 




BOOK REVIEW

It would be fitting to say that Murakami's world is mysterious, vivid and contagious. His characters are memorable and the colours in his bookish world are transferable to your soul that they follow you even in your dreams. Reading a Murakami after so long made me realise why he is a living legend in the world of writing. There is no one like him to blend World War 2 and magical realism so effortlessly. 


The unnamed protagonist in this story is an artist whom his wife abandons for another man. Dejected, he leaves for Tomohika Amada's neglected house, never to paint again. In his new home, strange things start happening after he accidentally stumbles upon a painting in the attic titled 'Killing Commendatore,' which opens a portal to an unknown realm. One event leads to another, and eventually, the line between reality and fantasy becomes a blur. 


As always, I enjoyed the story, the writing, and the concepts behind it. I really wonder what's going on inside his brain because he weaves a story like no one else. Unlike most of his books, the language in this one was straightforward, and the beginning really kept me hooked. But as the suspense unravelled, it did not feel so much suspenseful after all.


I may be biased just because he is my favourite author. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't take note of what's wrong with his works. This book had no business being so long. It was about 680 pages, and it took me a fortnight and a skim in the middle to get through it. The repetition could have cut the book short by 100 pages easily. If I ever get the opportunity to meet Murakami, I would really want to find out who hurt him and ask him to settle his beef with women once and for all. As much as I enjoy his writing, I cannot understand the mysterious nature of the women in his stories. They are repeatedly dishonest, unfathomable and deceitful in all his books. I particularly did not enjoy how the physical attributes of two underage girls were described in detail, in addition to the over detailing of every sexual encounter. 


But to mix fantasy, history, fiction and nonfiction, there is no one like him. I might have been let down by multiple factors, but he never fails to amaze me with his creativity in terms of portraying a parallel universe between reality and imagination. It might not be my second favourite Murakami after all, but I find it better than Men Without Women and Sputnik Sweetheart. I still have the spot for second favourite Murakami open. Let's hope I will find it sooner in the future. 


MY REVIEW: 3.5/5

This book is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel

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