Title : 1Q84
Author : Haruki Murakami
Year Published : 2011
Original Language : Japanese
“Even if you managed to escape from one cage, weren’t you just in another, larger one?”
Excerpt From: Haruki, Murakami. “1Q84.”
One of my friend, a book freak, several times tried to suggest me to read one of great novelist from Japan, Haruki Murakami. She quite insisted to pushed me to read Kafka on Shore. She said that's novel is masterpiece, if you really love Kafka. But instead of reading Kafka on Shore, I pick one of the newest published book of Murakami, 1Q84 (previously I already read Norwegian Wood, another masterpice of Murakami)
Well, like I said before I am not a big fans of Japanese Author because there are always miserable dead consist inside. But I am really curious about this strange title, 1Q84 what supposed it means?
So, I pushed my self to read thousand pages of Murakami, and I should said I am captivated. Still, there are dead, but didn't happen to my beloved character.
1Q84, from the cover itself made the reader take a big question, what is supposed to mean? what is the meaning of woman face in there? My first guess is it must related to Sci-fi theme, a robot or something, but I am sure something illogical. Bad guess of course, but yes it is totally fiction, take a side your logic for awhile to avoid your self didn't follow the story.
This book consist of three parts that separated with time length. Book 1 April-June, Book 2 July - September, Book 3 October - December. Well, let's guessing what could be happen in 8 months?
The novel open with story about Aomame, a late twentith woman who trapped inside of luxurious taxi in a traffic jam in highway. Don't Let Appearances Fool You, that the title of first chapter in book 1. Being rushed for her important schedule, Aomame took the mergency stairway to get out from the traffic jam. Wearing her fancy skirt, high heel, stocking and coat, she climbed down the stair and made people amazed by her. No ordinary person climbing emergency stairway that connect to the Metropolitan Expressway. Too dangerous. The taxi driver who suggest her to climbed down the stairway told her that something inside 'Things are not what they seem' and he added :
“the everyday look of things might seem to change a little. Things may look different to you than they did before. I’ve had that experience myself. But don’t let appearances fool you. There’s always only one reality.”
Well, quite something, isn't it? this incident surely lead to something important. Okay, let's guess it!
Just like Murakami, there is always some stories in one novel, so there is another protagonist, Kawana Tengo. Tengo is a cramschool teacher that also happen to be an author. He never published a book, but he has an astrology column in magazine and oftenly writing part-time under disguised name. But Tengo is used to a child prodigy, he is brilliant in almost everything education, sports and music but lately he didn't have any desire to pursuit every thing at all. He is living in a small apartment, teaching mathematics and having a 10 years older girlfriend whom happen to be someone's wife. He also not sure whether he loved his girlfriend, but one thing for sure he didn't have any interest to younger woman.
Mr. Komatsu is a Tengo one of Tengo's limited number friend. He is a influental editor, he asked Tengo to be judge of writing competition. They talked about one interesting book, Air Chrysalis and agreed that book is wonderful but somehow lack of well written. Komatsu sured that Air Chrysallis will be one of fenomenal book and win the competition if only Tengo want to rewrite it. Refuse it, Tengo is mind about code of ethic and didn't want to get into trouble. But Komatsu tried so hard to pursuade him, Komatsu know that Tengo also feel 'something' toward that novel.
Air Chrysalis is written by Fuka Eri or Eriko Fukada, a 17 years old girl. She is beautiful girl and easily made people attracted to her. Agreed to rewrite the novel, Tengo shall meet the real writer to tell her his intention and get permission from her. When they meet, Tengo realize that Fuka Eri is not ordinary 17 years old girl. She talk no more than one sentence at once, she also dyslexic. So how a dylexic girl able to write such a wonderful novel? Turn out she asked her bestfriend to write under her story.
Air Chrysalis is work of fiction, story about 10 years old girl that live in a special mountain commune where she assigned to look after a blind goat. One day the blind goat is die and she got punished for that because the goat have a special meaning for the community. She was put in total isolation for ten days, locked in an old store house with the goat's corpse.
In fact, the goat served as a passageway to this world for the Little People. She didn't know yet whether the Little People were good or bad. But they made an Air Chrysalis, and the girl helped them to made it.
The story of Air Chrysalis is Fuka Eri herself in the past. She is the only daughter of leader of religious-commune community, Sakigake. At ten, She run away from the commune, take the train outside the town and knocked his father's bestfriend home, Profesor Ebisuno. Later, he become the legal guardian of Fuka Eri.
With consent of Profesor Ebisuno, Tengo rewrite Air Chrysalis and just like Komatsu expected, it is won the award. Soon, the book is published and become number one best seller. Fuka Eri is become famous and media praised her so much.
“Most people don’t know the value of a good novel, but they don’t want to be left out, so they’ll buy it and read it—especially when they hear it was written by a high school girl” Komatsu told Tengo, his prediction that Air Chrysallis will be a sensation.
But there is something odd with Air Chrysalis, and the writer Fuka Eri also his legal guard Profesor Ebisuno. Tengo sensed that, trouble is coming in their way. The approval of Profesor is too easy, Tengo suspect that profesor had a hidden agenda. In fact he is. Soon, Fuka Eri is reported missing after sensation she made.
Back to Aomame story, Aomame is also a unordinary girl. She worked as gym instructors, and very good at self-defense. When she was a child, she was living in religious family whom believed in Society of Witnesses. Yes, the same religion as Jehovah Witnesses in US. They refuse to take blood donor tough in critical condition. Being different, made her get excluded among her friends in elementary school. Her Friends treat her like nothing, but one day her friends teased her so much until one of her friend, a boy stand out to defend her. Gradually Aomame fond that boy in her heart. Until when they are 5th grade, Aomame dare herself suddenly grab that Boy's hand and run away after that. Since then, she love that boy until present time but she didn't have any chance to meet him anymore.
After that incident, Aomame decide to broke her belief and get out from her house. She is no longer a member of Society of Witnesses yet till now she still praying before doing something important, out of nothing. Aomame had no friends. Once she have a bestfriend during in high school, Tamaki. But later, Tamaki is commit a suicide because of her abused husband. That's made a deep scar for Aomame, she hate an abused man so much.
Several times per week, Aomame give a muscle treatment to rich dowager whom having a safe house inside her house. The Safe house is a shelter to any woman or childrens whom runaway from bad neighbourhood especially their abused husband. Together, Aomame and the dowager share a same lost of someone that been abused. They believed in each other and start to plan punish man whom do bad thing to their wife. With the special skill Aomame's have, she killed several man without leaving a trace.
Their justice seek have been lead them to the Sakigake Leader, father of Fuka Eri. That leader has been raped underage girl whom haven't had their period yet. Aomame is destined to kill the leader of Sakigake.
But those tragedy is far bigger than just a Sakigake Leader death. Soon, Aomame learn the fact that the raped thing is a ritual that correlated with Air Chrysallis and Little People. Fuka Eri is the first girl of her Father raped when she is 10 years old.
Then the wire slowly loosen out. What the correlation between Sakigake, Aomame, the leader, Fuka Eri, Profesor Ebisuno and of course Tengo Kawana. Under the two moons, they living in different world, 1Q84.
As a hint, and soon you will found out, and as expected, the boy that Aomame held his hand is of course Tengo Kawana, her long-life love since ever.
A simply short story, the main story of this book is how ill-fated two of lover Aomame and Tengo has to found each other at last. They are main person of how 1Q84 world happen. From since, they destined to defeat a lot of bad things to reunite again.
Well, to be honest, Book 1 and Book 2 made me didn't want to stop this book, but book 3? I honestly found it boring especially after the death of Sakigake leader. The rise of another point of view, Ushikawa made the plot of this novel isn't flowing. The flash back isn't significant and i can skipped several times without lost the main plot of this story.
But still, thousand pages is worth it to read. I spent 3 weeks exclusively to finish this book and get fascinated how wonderful Murakami try to convey us a lot of life lesson. May be what bothered me the most is every person in this story is very literature expert. They easily excerpt a litle one of that and this from famous literature that happen to be not easy to read. What I am trying to say is not every one with different profession is very care with literature right? But I don't know may be every japanese is so smart so they read high level literature.
What I loved the most from Murakami is how he put the detail without bore the reader. He introduce us a lot of literature (luckily i love english literature) and of course he poke the reader to the insignificant thing of human life into big realization. Like this one:
“Most people are not looking for provable truths. As you said, truth is often accompanied by intense pain, and almost no one is looking for painful truths. What people need is beautiful, comforting stories that make them feel as if their lives have some meaning. Which is where religion comes from.”
Darn correct, right?
Well, over all 1Q84 is very fine novel which introduce us a different world and of course much much of life lesson.
“Once you pass a certain age, life becomes nothing more than a process of continual loss.”
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