South of the Border, West of the Sun (Murakami novel)

Rating on Goodreads: 4/5 ★
Rating on Grace and Books: 4/5 ★


Growing up in the suburbs in post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father's record collections. but when his family moved away, the two lost touch.

Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery.

Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present. 

This is my first Murakami novel. And after I finished it, I think it's an amazing, poetic ode to love, life, and forgiveness. 

Story time: my mother initially bought the book for herself. Then she thought that I needed some actual 'literature' in my life, so she passed the book to me. 

"It's a lightweight story you'll enjoy," she told me. And she was right.

I have not been reading slice-of-life or realist novels, because of my focus on fantasy and science fiction, but this book, although it is shorter than most other novels, is the one that could bring me back. 

The plot centres upon the main character's growth from childhood (starting from sixth grade) to adulthood, as well as his various romances peppered within. Murakami's writing, from start to finish, was amazing. You get a good sense of what the characters, especially Hajime, feel. 

Characters 
Hajime: He is your typical student-turned-adult, sometimes indecisive and lost. He's the relatable kind of person, because what he went through was what most of us currently feel as teenagers. As an only child, I could identify with him, his sentiments of being lonely and without company. His personality develops and matures throughout the story, experiencing teenage infatuation and lust, along with first relationships. His friendship/relationship (in the latter part of the book) with Shimamoto is the driving force of the story, and seems to impact his emotions. 
It's not just Shimamoto Hajime tangles with though - he got together with many other women (like in Casablanca), one of them who becomes his wife. As I read on, I could glimpse the battle of loyalty versus desire, right versus wrong going on in his head. Not going to lie, my heart broke for his wife when he went to see Shimamoto. 
As the story was centred on him, the author successfully made me interested in Hajime's external and (mostly) internal growth as a person. 

And speaking of his wife...

Yukiko: As Hajime's wife, she is a very devoted spouse. From the day she meets him, she is faithful to him. It is a shame, really, that Hajime does not share that devotion until the very end of the book. Also, she is forgiving: when Hajime admits to the affair with Shimamoto, Yukiko tells him off a bit, but ends the conversation by asking him to not do that again. Most wives would've left the marriage and settled for a divorce... but not her. It is tough to work up the strength to forgive, and that is why I admire her. 

Shimamoto: The elusive, mysterious girl who enchants Hajime since the day he met her. She and him share quite a lot in common, being the only children without siblings in elementary school. Hajime is infatuated with her for a long time, and she with him, as it is revealed in the latter part of the book when they meet again many years later, as adults. In a sense, she is the one who overturns Hajime and Yukiko's union, if only for a short while. She has such an effect on Hajime that at one point, every waking moment is filled with thoughts of her. Women with power, indeed.

Writing
Lush and vivid language dominates almost every page. Murakami never misses a detail about everything, from the set up to the characters. He can make even the most mundane moment seem interesting. Though the writing focuses more on the character's journey rather than the setting, it works here. He stays true to the main setting of the book, and creates an authentic life-like atmosphere in the story. 
There's a lot of song references weaved into the narrative too. I (secretly) enjoy Nat King Cole's music, so I was glad that his song was featured in the book. (Thanks Murakami!!)

For a first-timer of Murakami's works, this is a wonderful book where the ending sticks with you for a very long time.