When asking around for recommendations for good fiction titles, the name-dropping exercise will inevitably includes Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami. (For those of you who recommended him to me, you know who you are.)His latest book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, is not a novel but a memoir infused with philosophical musings about his twin passions: writing and running.
In other circumstances, it will be odd to compliment someone for being a highly skilled interlocutor good at engaging himself in conversation (conferring the dubious honour of a classic nut job).
But in Murakami's case, his ability to dig deep seems like an innate characteristic, and he is so self-reflexive that the reader will probably be lost in his thought processes.
Reading his memoir provides a good sense of how his novels will read. Having never encountered Murakami's earlier works before, I can guess that his fiction writing is probably filled with a similar style of introspection and genuineness.
Here are some facts about him that might intrigue you: He owned a jazz bar, decided to become a novelist and tried his hand (or rather, his feet) at long distance-running, where he became an avid marathoner.
Reading his memoir provides a good sense of how his novels will read. Having never encountered Murakami's earlier works before, I can guess that his fiction writing is probably filled with a similar style of introspection and genuineness.
For those of you who consider yourselves to be writers and wordsmiths, you will find resonance in his words. For those of you who cannot imagine running a marathon and surviving it, perhaps he can convince you to make your first foray into the running world.
A relatively short and easy book to ingest, it makes for a good weekend read. Do savour the parts when he mentions surrendipitious encounters that charmed his life, because we all can relate to that.
