"1Q84" by Haruki Murakami’s

Review written by Kevin Blanton

Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 is the story of Aomame and Tengo. Aomame is a young woman and an assassin, who takes on jobs to murder middle-aged men who molest their wives. Tengo is a math teacher and wannabe writer. Both characters end up in a slightly different version of reality, which Aomame calls 1Q84.

1Q84 is a very easy to read book. Do not be intimidated by its size. I breezed through its 925 pages. I put this down to the skill of the writing, which takes a story that could be considered complex, and is certainly long, and yet has made it a burdenless read. Unlike other long novels, where the pace and the reader’s interest can ebb and flow, in 1Q84 I felt engaged and accompanied all the way through with little sign of the usual tricks done to intrigue the reader. The book will appeal to lovers of literature. It is full of references to other works both well- known and obscure. The list is a long one and includes Chekov, Dostoyevsky and Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

1Q84 is not only necessary reading for any true Haruki Murakami enthusiast but the skill and quirkiness on display means it can be enjoyed by newcomers to his work and its immense size need not be a reason to start elsewhere.