by KB Meniado

The last time I picked up a Murakami book was when I won 1Q84 from Mensis Liber in 2013. It was a challenging read, to say the least, and after that, I kind of crossed him out for a while from my reading pile. This book, with its beautiful packaging and all, got me to reconsider.

THE STORY

From internationally acclaimed author Haruki Murakami—a fantastical illustrated short novel about a boy imprisoned in a nightmarish library.

Opening the flaps on this unique little book, readers will find themselves immersed in the strange world of best-selling Haruki Murakami’s wild imagination. The story of a lonely boy, a mysterious girl, and a tormented sheep man plotting their escape from a nightmarish library, the book is like nothing else Murakami has written. Designed by Chip Kidd and fully illustrated, in full color, throughout, this small format, 96 page volume is a treat for book lovers of all ages. Read reviews: Goodreads

WHAT I LIKED

THE HARD COVER EDITION, RIGHT? An office mate lent me her copy, and the illustrations were so pretty!

HOWEVER…

I wanted to like this one—after all, there’s an inquisitive boy, a mysterious girl, a sheep man and a brain-eating old man—but I have an issue with Murakami portraying the library, home of wonderful words, in an unpleasant light.

But that’s Murakami for you. He turns the ordinary and mundane into something else—something either terrifying or magnificent.

tl;dr

“All I did was go to the library give Murakami a chance to borrow some books. and now I’m sucked into another world. Yet again.” ☁