Will you remember that I existed, and that I stood next to you here like this?”Īnother Naoko (or maybe the same one), is found in the plot of this book. There are two twins who slip in and out of the narrator’s mind throughout the novel. The book ends in a quest for the narrator’s favourite pinball machine from his Naoko days and connection with Naoko’s memory. Murakami explores the theme of loss and nostalgia in this one too but more through the lens of the relationship that the unnamed narrator had with his girlfriend, Naoko, who committed suicide. This is the sequel to Hear The Wind Sing. He ends up befriending a truck driver who becomes attached to him quite quickly. One particular case takes him far away from home and puts him on the road for the first time in his life. The other plot, covered in the even numbered chapters, is about an old man named Nakata who ends with a job as a cat finder. He spends most of his time reading books but soon, the police start enquiring about him in connection with a murder. The odd chapters are about 15-year-old Kafka who runs away from his father’s home and finds refuge in a private library. The narrative moves back and forth, following each plot in alternating chapters. The story revolves around two characters with distinctly different lives but interconnected paths.

This is Murakami’s most famous work and actually has two intertwined stories. Hence, we bring you a complete guide of his most famous work. So many people have heard so much about him and want to pick up a book by him only to realize that they don’t really know where to start from.

Sumire haruki murakami