I love the quaint cozy feeling of reading Japanese fiction. It has great word economy and a certain kind of melancholic philosophical feeling which is very different from say European fiction(quirky, blocky) or black literature(simmering rage). With Murakami, whom I have tended to avoid because of his Western inclinations, there is that aftertaste of American literature but the overall flavour is decidedly Japanese.
Let's face it. Only Japanese writers can write about the absolutely most mundane thing in the world and keep you engrossed. I read The Guest Cat recently and most of it was just about daily living and I thought it was one of the best novels I read that year.
This is about running and I read this while walking. Which is ironic because Murakami even names the last chapter "At Least He Never Walked." If this was only about running, I would have deleted the audiobook after 10 mins but it's not pleasantly. While he does mainly circle on his running, a lot of it is dedicated to his inner struggles, his jazz bar days, his process of writing and his creative inspirations. Most of the novel however concerns his preparation for upcoming Marathons and the challenges he faces along the way, and the actual races.
Of all the races mentioned here, the Marathon at Athens is the best. It is truly exciting to read and I was heavily invested throughout. Keep in mind, I didn't plan to read this book seriously. I specifically chose this book because it would bob and weave and so if I missed a few seconds, no harm would be done. I had planned not to care about the quality of writing here. However in the Athens chapter, I really wish he had ended with "Not exactly a great time, but at least I was able to run the whole course by myself, my only companions the awful traffic, the unimaginable heat, and my terrible thirst and the dead cats and dogs(or something of this effect) It is pretty powerful imagery to just throw away but hey Murakami is acclaimed author here, not me.
The rest of the book is fine too. Most of the back deals with his deteriorating stamina and his stubborn battle against age. I hope Murakami keeps running till he dies. Good listen. Ray Porter was very very good here.
(ps apparently he runs topless most of the time at home or Hawaii and uh wow random people saying old Murakami's hairy chest hey yo y'all living the life man haha)