I seem to have serious inconsistencies in my taste. That's OK. I contain multitudes. Last month I expressed how dissatisfied I felt about David Lynch's Twin Peaks work. I found it vague and opaque to the point of inscrutability. I ended up being impressed by the atmospherics but rarely able to figure out the ultimate point. Haruki Murakami''s writing does the same thing to me, yet I love it. (I have previously pondered my uncharacteristic appreciation for Haruki-san.)
This month I happened to read a couple of his works. Sputnik Sweetheart was one of his mid-career novels, I believe it came just after his opus and the book that would make his reputation, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. The second was Men Without Women, his latest book of short stories. Though separated by nearly 20 years, both books are about men dealing with the loss of loved women. In fact, I would find it very plausible if you told me that the stories in Men Without Women were unchosen plots from a Sputnik Sweetheart brainstorming session.
For the most part, the characters described are either misfits or loners -- to some extent they are all alienated -- and the love of a certain woman is the most powerful force in their lives. It takes many forms -- requited or unrequited, conventional or illicit -- but the love they feel is not really joyful, it's more of a haunting; a connection that, though deeply desired and needed, releases the fear and desperation in their souls. Although there is hope at the end of Sputnik..., Men... is darker and sadder. These are no Jay Gatsbys; their fates are emptiness, irresolution, and confusion and they accept it.
Haruki-san is wonderful as portraying withdrawn and lonely people without making them pitiful. So good that one suspects he is drawing on his own innate personality for archetypal feelings. Others, have suggested that he is trying to portray the overly conformist society of Japan, but that doesn't ring true to me. This feels very personal, not cultural. Naturally, since men and women are the principals there is the topic of sex to deal with. The sexual moments are told with a frankness that robs them of eros. There are some very erotic moments in these books, but they are not the directly sexual moments. Mostly, we are tracking the actions of people who in some sense are adrift, then they arrive at some sort of self-discovery, for better or worse. Occasionally they will be prompted to positive and direct action, but mostly they stroll through life, in a fog of self-misunderstanding, if not in outright fear.
Should you read Sputnik Sweetheart or Men Without Women? Yes. Although there are still mystical aspects (parallel worlds, dreams intruding on reality) they are not dominatingly front-and-center like they can be with Haruki-san. These stories are thoroughly relatable. Unless you require action and clear resolutions you'll find a lot material to stick with you. I would suggest starting with Sputnik Sweetheart as it has a fuller narrative, then follow up with Men Without Women if you want more.
