Haruki Murakami “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage”

First of all, before I started to read this book, I didn’t know anything about it. I just knew that the author is Japanese, so I got interested in it and finally got my hands on it.

So the story is about a man named Tsukuru Tazaki. When he was in school, he had four best friends. By chance all of their names contained a color, except Tsukuru. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning “red pine”, and Oumi - “blue sea”, while the girls’ names were Shirane - “white root”, and Kurono - “black field”. The all grew up and got in universities for higher education. Tsukuru was the only one who left Nagoya, their hometown. Then one day his friends told him that they didn’t want to see him, or talk to him, ever again. Since that day Tsukuru has been suffering with this feeling of losing apart of his life. He also is unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what actually happened all those years ago.

Firstly, the book cover. I just love it. Yes, it is simple, but I love how the coloured circles symbolizes the five of them.

Secondly, I think, that Murakami has done a great job developing all the characters. Every one of them had their own place and they weren’t just existing there. And when some of the characters didn’t show up anymore in the story, it felt a bit emptier and I wanted to see more of the character. (Haida, I'm talking to you!)

I liked that the book is just simply Tsukuru Tazaki’s life story. But the way that Murakami has written it, is really different from other writers. Sometimes I felt like I know too much (sometimes even disturbing). I can’t explain it more clearly, but at the same time I understood, that it’s no different from mine and other lives. 

The most amazing thing, that Murakami has done with this book is that is made me feel so many different emotions. Throughout the pages I felt sad, sometimes disturbed and ashamed, some parts I even laughed. 

The only thing, that was disturbing my reading and also after reading it, that the book left me with lots and lots of questions. Yes, I like books that let your imagination flow and create your own ending, but this was not like that. I wanted to know what happened to some characters and why.

Overall, I loved the book, it was interesting and exciting, with a lot of unexpected turn of events. But because of that cut-off ending I rate it :

9,5/10

” Some things in life are too complicated to explain in any language.

” The human heart is like a night bird. Silently waiting for something, and when the time comes, it flies straight toward it.