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Comment by Lyngbakr | Hacker News Reader

I've read a few Murakami books, but always find myself underwhelmed. Every few years I try again — everyone else loves his books, so clearly I'm missing something — but I'm yet to find one that I really enjoy. (I have the same problem with Rushdie, so perhaps I just don't get critically acclaimed literature?)

Besides Kafka on the Shore, The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which of his books would be the best way to get into Haruki Murakami?

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I think Kafka and Wind Up Bird are pretty representative. If you've given them a shot, it's probable you just don't like his writing. I agree that Norwegian Wood is different enough that you could try it, or Wild Sheep Chase, but I don't see particularly why you'd like them if you don't like the others. I'm a big Murakami fan, but I think he's a little like Rush, either you really like him or you dont understand why people like him. You're not the first person I've heard say this.

Furthermore, it's OK to not like things. :) It's why we have so many things to choose from.

I absolutely loved "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World". It's just downright bonkers.

I second this. It was the first of his books I read, and it is quite different but I think exemplifies what I liked about the writer. A melancholic stroll through a surreal scenario, but unlike some of his stories I felt this one had a resolution.

I was initially annoyed by the main character, but was loving it by the end. I think the weirdly neurotic narration was reflective of the character's bizarre split consciousness; the alternating stories between the main character and the End of the World were such a fascinating way to present this.

It's funny, the alternation was my least favorite part (I love the book). Not that I can think of a better way to make the story work. But personally I'm annoyed by constant back and forth like that. 18Q4 is similar, and of course many other authors do the same thing. Personally I find it overused. The book is still great in spite of it though.

"Representative" isn't "best". Try Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World or Norwegian Wood. Men without Women feels like the best short stories to start with.

Then Wild Sheep Chase, then you've read enough for 1q84.

I really liked South of the Border, West of the Sun - it's a rather short novel and IMO pretty focused thematically. And then, of course, Norwegian Wood is a must-read.

I finished Norwegian Wood a couple weeks ago, it reminded me a lot of South of the Border. SOTB only gets a touch of surreal towards the end; beyond that, they're similar in their relatively down-to-earth view of the protagonist's struggle with interpersonal interactions.

I definitely got the feeling when I read Rushdie that I was just reading a Pynchon who was a little too eager to let you in on all his very clever little jokes.

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