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Misanthropic men

The parabolic tales of Haruki Murakami
by
May 2021, no. 431

First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami

Harvill Secker, $39.99 hb, 250 pp

Misanthropic men

The parabolic tales of Haruki Murakami
by
May 2021, no. 431
Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami

‘Shall I scrub your back for you?” the monkey asked ... He had the clear, alluring voice of a doo-wop baritone. Not at all what you would expect.’ The eight short stories in First Person Singular are exactly what a reader has come to expect from Haruki Murakami, a writer with a penchant for neo-surrealism. The parabolic tales in this collection explore the familiar tropes and motifs of his oeuvre, including loneliness, outsiderness, chance encounters, music (classical, jazz and the Beatles), and memories. While Murakami might not be breaking new ground here, it is still a magical experience to return to his whimsical, eccentric, and enigmatic reimagining of Japan.

Cassandra Atherton reviews 'First Person Singular' by Haruki Murakami

First Person Singular

by Haruki Murakami

Harvill Secker, $39.99 hb, 250 pp

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