Nice Name for a book. Isn’t it? Sputnik in Russian means “fellow traveler”. The book is written by Murakami (my current craze). The book is about a 22 year old girl who is in love with a woman who is 20 years older than her. Importantly, the book is also about a person who wants to be a writer.
When I read the first Murakami “Kafka on the shore” I found it, how should I put it – quirky, unusual, over the edge. It’s difficult to slot but there was something in that book which held me and somewhere I made a mental note – I wanna know this guy! I read about him on the net and discovered that – he and his wife used to run a jazz café in Japan and one day while seeing a baseball match he had a revelation that he can write. Rest as they say is history!
In the process of that discovery I read – Norwegian Wood, The wild sheep chase & now Sputnik Sweetheart. Norwegian Wood has been translated in 16 languages and he apparently has a cult following. And as it happens with cult following his writing won’t appeal to all.
What’s interesting about Murakami’s books is that, while every book has a different plot, the key protagonist and his character is almost the same – someone who thinks he is ordinary but he is lonely proud, well read – hence philosophical, not disillusioned but detached, doesn’t have a strong objectivity in terms where he wants to be in 2 yrs / 3 yrs but whatever he does tries to find a meaning, lot of growing up angst hence experiments with things.
Most of his books are in first person and since the characters are the same you almost feel like the author is trying to project you or take you along with him on certain episodes in life. The books although set in Japan, portrays the urban man-women relationship beautifully. Also every book has a very high intensity not in terms of plots / sub plots etc but in terms of the topic – Sputnik Lover is about an intense love of a women for a women & Norwegian Wood is about a man who loves a women who is engaged with somebody else, Kafka is about a boy who is run away from his home and his journey, The sheep chase is bizarre story of yes a sheep chase …I can’t explain but I loved it.
Although I was told, Sputnik Sweetheart is not one of his best books, according to me, it is probably the best in terms of his usage of the language / metaphors / words which is not his typical style. Imagine linking the non-existent life of a satellite (read empty shell), which is rotating around the earth because it can’t exercise his choice to a relationship where two people are constant companions but actually empty shells …just tied to each other because they don’t want to exercise their choice.
I kept awake for a long time after I read the book…..trying to conclude – Was it my current state of my mind? Or was it the author in me, which was shaken up. Let me sleep over it....I think I will end up picking up my next Murakami.
No comments:
Post a Comment