The Strange Library – Murakami

Hello !

Alright Kids, it’s New Year, time to take good resolutions and…
No wait, don’t change, stay yourself.

Well, today I’ve decided to speak about one of my christmas present, a little book called « Fushigi Na Toshokan » or « The Strange Library » in english. That’s a short story written by Haruki Murakami a famous japanese writer. See ? I don’t only read mangas !

This little book had a big impact on me you know ? No, don’t think it’s exceptionally clever or something that denunce something. It’s more of a fantasy or a-totally-what-the-hell-is-going-on book ! Yeah that’s the least I can say, it’s pretty disturbing at first, but then it becomes usual.

For the story, a boy named… Er who has no-name if I’m right, goes one day to the local library to borrow some books about a question he wondered about during his way-back home : how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire ? With that you already understand the context and the genre of the story ! That’s what he does, but it turned out to be more complicated… To read books about it, he has to go in a special room, in some underground tunnel… where he’ll find himself trapped ! Here he’ll meet strange characters like a sheep man (who’s really good at cooking donuts…) and another crazy psycopath ! I don’t tell what he does ’cause it’s important in the story -and pretty gore. Of course, then he’ll try to escape this strange library…

This book although short was really rich in madness ! (But don’t think all japanese are writting crazy things !) It was moreover entertaining and pretty funny at some moments. Because it’s a short story, all things aren’t equally developped and sometimes and it seems to be said quickly, but it stays cool to read. The character tries to find a way back to normality and that’s really interesting, you’re totally with him when you’re reading the book (plus it’s told with 1rst-person narrative) so you’re fully in it.

In a nutshell that’s a nice little story to pass time for example.

Well, that’s all for me, see you guys !

3 réflexions sur « The Strange Library – Murakami »

  1. We definitely have the same tatstes in books Manon! I want to read this one for a while! In addition, the covers of Murakami’s books in 10/18 editions are sublime !!! (yes I’m a superficial girl) 😉

  2. You made me discover this author and I’m honestly looking forward to him. Murakami seems to be such an OVNI in our modern literature. I also knew him by reading inspirational quotations from Kafka on the Shore. Did you read this book too ?

  3. I read a book written by Murakami as I chose it randomly because of the nice colors of its front cover…and I can’t stop trying to find every single one he wrote! What a great choice, I fully agree with you Manon! 😉

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