There are a series of short stories by Murakami that have a more delicious taste.

These are the ones that carry the characteristics and signatures of this writer, who is the master of his stories, and inject an unrequited love for the fruit into his life.

This is exactly what I am looking for when I read Murakami or perhaps when I read anything.

The doubling of the power of my favorite writer by using the space in which he flourishes.

There is a story in this book called "Honey Pie".

This story is about a young man who is unable to express his love to a girl who is also his university mate, because he thinks that he has never done anything himself, but it is these other people who have done and are doing and should do things for him. This character has not directly met this girl, but a mutual friend has brought them together. The main character takes so long that their mutual friend asks the girl for marriage.

That's just how simple it is. That's just how detailed it is. That's just how Murakami-like it is. The story progresses and Murakami's truths and his symbolic story-telling are shaped by the characters.

If I were very emotional, I would demand five stars for this single story, but since two of his stories had a bad ending, it's four stars.

January opened and closed with Murakami. Recently, I picked up my first book by Murakami, and this is the third one I've read. Whether we're talking about an 800-page novel or a book composed of short stories like this one, I declare myself charmed. I read "After the Quake" literally in one sitting (as they say in my village too), and I found some of the stories more interesting and others less so. My favorites are Thailand and the apple pie.

Murakami's words have a unique allure. They draw you in and make you lose yourself in his fictional worlds. His writing style is both dreamy and profound, allowing you to explore the depths of human emotions and experiences.

As I turned the pages of his books, I felt as if I was on a journey, encountering different characters and their stories. Each story has its own charm and message, leaving a lasting impression on me.

I can't wait to read more of Murakami's works and continue this literary adventure. His books have become a source of inspiration and entertainment for me, and I'm sure they will be for many others as well.

A collection of short stories for different people, but one event unites them all, which is an earthquake that hit Japan, unexpectedly changing the lives of the heroes in the stories.

These stories might explore the various ways in which the characters are affected. Some might lose their homes and have to start anew, facing countless challenges along the way. Others might discover hidden strengths within themselves as they struggle to survive and help those around them.

The earthquake serves as a catalyst, bringing out the best and worst in people. It tests their relationships, their values, and their ability to adapt to change. Through these stories, we can gain a deeper understanding of the human spirit and how it can either break or shine in the face of adversity.

Each story offers a unique perspective on the impact of the earthquake, painting a vivid picture of the chaos and destruction that followed, as well as the glimmers of hope and resilience that emerged.

The Kobe earthquake occurred in an area of southern Japan early one morning in January 1995.

It was a devastating event that claimed over 4000 lives and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

In this compilation of six short stories, the connection of the narrative to the earthquake itself varies.

Sometimes it is clear, while at other times it is more obscure.

However, they all have one thing in common: the events in each story take place one month after the earthquake.

The stories often lack a traditional ending.

They simply mirror the thoughts and actions of different individuals within a short period of time.

These are snippets of lives.

In the typical style of Murakami, some stories incorporate the surreal, while others center on people whose lives seem empty, at least at that particular moment.

Some are outsiders, and some appear a bit lost.

The overall tone is understandably melancholy.

It is all exquisitely crafted.

My favorite story features a man who encounters a huge talking frog.

Sounds strange?

Well, for me, it is actually the most poignant of all the tales.

Another outstanding collection of stories from this writer who always manages to surprise and make me reflect on my own position in the world and the way I choose to live my life.

As the first work that I have read from a popular author whom almost all book lovers know, it was not very appealing to me.

I had high expectations before picking up this book, thinking that it would be a captivating and engaging read. However, as I delved into the story, I found myself rather disappointed.

The plot seemed to lack depth and originality, and the characters were not developed enough to make me truly care about them. The writing style was also not to my taste, as it felt a bit平淡 and uninteresting.

Despite its popularity, this book failed to leave a lasting impression on me. Maybe it's just a matter of personal preference, but I couldn't help but feel that there were other books out there that could offer a more fulfilling reading experience.

After reading Haruki Murakami's sole non-fiction work, "Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche," which details the Tokyo subway nerve-gas attack on March 20, 1995, I was then drawn to this collection of fictional short stories set in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995, just two months before the gas attack. However, the Kobe earthquake serves merely as a somber backdrop for the stories. The characters have only a loose connection to Kobe, and it seems that Murakami intended to showcase the Japanese psyche, with the earthquake acting as a metaphor for the characters' state of mind. Indeed, it feels as if one is wading through the rubble of their minds, witnessing the ruptures and tremors of their emotional lives.

Not unlike the interviews with several members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult (responsible for the gas attack) in "Underground," we are presented with the emptiness, darkness, and existential despair that Murakami's characters experience in their lives. Personal tragedy and the sense that something is lacking in our lives can truly lead us, as spiritual beings, to mediums, religions, and cults like Aum. So, perhaps we should view "After the Quake" as an exploration of the psychic preconditions for the attack.

“And then it struck him what lay buried far down under the earth on which his feet were so firmly planted: the ominous rumbling of the deepest darkness, secret rivers that transported desire, slimy creatures writhing, the lair of earthquakes ready to transform whole cities into mounds of rubble. These, too, were helping to create the rhythm of the earth.”
“The whole terrible fight occurred in the area of imagination. That is the precise location of our battlefield. It’s there that we experience our victories and our defeats. Each and every one of us is a being of limited duration: all of us eventually go down to defeat.”

Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't a masterpiece translation nor an extraordinary piece of writing.

There is a feeling that Murakami, like Somerset Maugham, like Maxim Gorky or Bernard Shaw, is to a great extent forgotten.

The greater the distancing than the susceptibility in the relationship of the audience with the works of these individuals plays a role. When the distance is broken, the difference between Sholokhov, Wolfe, and Kafka and the Murakamis is found.

2/5stars

I just don't vibe with short stories mannnn. Short stories seem to lack the depth and complexity that I crave in a literary work. They often feel rushed, as if the author is trying to cram too much into a limited space. I prefer novels that allow me to fully immerse myself in the characters and their world. With a short story, I never really get a chance to form a connection with the characters or understand their motives. It's like trying to get to know someone in a matter of minutes. I know that some people love short stories for their brevity and ability to convey a powerful message in a short amount of time, but it's just not for me. Maybe I'll give them another try someday, but for now, I'll stick to my novels.

I don't have a specific reason for why I reread this book.

I remember that I couldn't decide which book to read, so I chose Haruki Murakami. Personally, I think that Haruki can't write short stories properly, but after reading his stories, he conveys a kind of peace or tranquility that I have experienced in few other writers.

Perhaps Murakami is for me and he is trying to show me the right way to read a book. :)))

P.S: What do you mean, Presto? :)

My favorite Murakami short story of all time is "The Kidney Shaped Stone That Moves Everyday."

So, when I realized halfway through the last story in After the Quake that the main character was the same one from "Kidney Shaped Stone," it was an absolute revelation.

It was as if the planets had aligned, the clouds parted, and a single shaft of sunlight shot down to bathe me in a golden glow. Everything seemed perfect in the universe.

And of course, "Honey Pie" is now my second favorite Murakami story of all time.

It's a rare writer who can seamlessly blend the elegant and sentimental with the bizarre and hilarious, but Murakami is one of those extraordinary writers. The man is truly a genius.

It took me a long time to figure out how to write this review without sounding like a crazed fangirl.

I guess all I can really talk about is the way I feel after reading After the Quake.

I felt happy in the way that you do when you hear a song for the first time and realize, Hey, this is really good.

But I also felt a tinge of sadness. After the Quake was so brilliant that I didn't want the stories to end.

And when they did, I felt like I was saying good-bye to a dear friend.

It's a feeling that only the most remarkable books can evoke, and Murakami has once again proven his mastery.

Solo he leído dos títulos de Murakami y todavía no estoy segura acerca de él.

Su narrativa es muy ligera y me gusta, pero en ocasiones, y hasta ahora me ha pasado con sus dos libros, no sé sobre los que vaya a leer después, me inquietan algunas escenas que parecen dispuestas ahí porque sí.

O sea, como que sus libros siempre tienen que tener esas escenas extrañas y casi absurdas de sexo que no me llegan a cuadrar muy bien y sobre otros temas que... bueno, yo qué sé, esta cultura en general se me hace un poquito rara, pero sin ir más allá.

Quedémonos con que pese a que la literatura asiática no es lo mío, Murakami se las trae.

Ahora, sus personajes, aunque bastante excéntricos en su mayoría, suelen ser bastante profundos, y esas reflexiones existenciales de vez en cuando me llegan, otras simplemente me gustan.

En fin, que su manera de narrar las cosas es muy suave y tranquila que provoca leer y termino pronto con sus obras.

Este en particular me ha gustado bastante por la variedad de escenarios y cómo logra que la trama no sea lo primordial para el lector.

El personaje lo es. El desenvolvimiento, lo irreal de sus vivencias pese a lo común de ellas. Es todo muy fascinante.

Lo curioso es que es taaan (sí, con tres "a") común lo que cuenta, que no acabo de explicarme por qué atrapa tanto, si incluso a veces se me antoja cliché.

Y acabo enredada con mi propia reseña reiterando lo que al principio mencioné.

Todavía no estoy cien por cien segura, pero y qué. Me ha gustado mucho. Lo que sea. Que alguien me ayude.

Haruki Murakami set this collection of six short stories a month after the destructive 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan.

The stories do not directly involve the earthquake area but vividly展示 the psychological changes that the people of Japan experienced in response to this national disaster.

The characters in the stories have strange dreams or move in an alternate dream reality. They feel a profound emptiness and loneliness in their lives.

This slim volume begins with "ufo in kushiro," which is about a man whose wife left him. She said that living with him was like living with a "chunk of air" because he has nothing but emptiness inside.

As the reader progresses through the collection, the stories become more optimistic. The last story, "honey pie," concludes on a hopeful note, with love and a caring family within reach.

This collection of stories is a sensitive and imaginative response to the devastation caused by the earthquake.

The stories in "after the quake" (Murakami specified lower case letters in the titles) include: "ufo in kushiro," "landscape with flatiron," "all god's children can dance," "thailand," "super-frog saves tokyo," and "honey pie."

Each story offers a unique perspective on the human condition in the aftermath of a disaster, exploring themes such as loss, grief, and the search for meaning and connection.

Murakami's writing is known for its lyrical prose and ability to capture the essence of human emotions, and this collection is no exception.

It is a powerful and moving work that will resonate with readers long after they have finished reading.