Which Murakami Book To Read Next?

Zeromus

Hello!

I'm in the mood for a Haruki Murakami book, but I can't quite decide which I should go for. (Sorry that this isn't the most dramatic of Help and Advice posts. :P )

Interestingly, I haven't really tackled any of his best-known or acclaimed novels, which is what makes this sort of a trickier question, I suppose. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed After Dark, After the Quake, Underground, A Wild Sheep Chase, and some of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which I was not such a fan of.

That leaves what I gather are his most famous and beloved works: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka On The Shore, Norwegian Wood, Sputnik Sweetheart, and Dance, Dance, Dance.

I think I'm leaning towards either The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Kafka, but I could be persuaded to check out one of the others.

Realizing there aren't really any wrong choices here, what would you recommend and why?

Jason00

Of the ones you have not read, I would rank them like this:

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Norwegian Wood
Kafka On The Shore
Sputnik Sweetheart
Dance, Dance, Dance

Wind-Up is so original and so bizarre, I would highly recommend reading that one. I never really knew where it was going, and I appreciated just being able to go along on the ride.

Norwegian Wood really stuck with me -- for weeks afterwards, I would think back on it. It's probably got my favorite of all of Murakami's protagonists, as well.

Djeet

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is my favorite, though if you read A Wild Sheep Chase you may want to read Dance, Dance, Dance. Each book stands on its own, and it isn't exactly a sequel, there's a progression.

To furthe complicate things, I quite enjoyed Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which was my first exposure to Murakami.

If you don't want to commit to a novel-length story you could check out The Elephant Vanishes.

Darlan

Just chiming to say I agree with Jason's order of quality, but Norwegian Wood is the one to read if you're not in the mood for surreal magic stuff. Otherwise, you just can't beat recreational existentialism in the bottom of a well. (Uh, that's Windup Bird Chronicle.)

Toefoo

Seconding the suggestions for Windup and Norwegian Wood, both very different but very interesting and memorable reads. There's also a film adaptation of Norwegian Wood that came out last year; I saw the trailer at a theater in Yokosuka and my brain exploded.

twotimesadingo

To repeat what has already been said: Norwegian Wood is an incredible novel, made more so for the lack the supernatural and surreal.

Vamos

Seconding The Elephant Vanishes. I carry it around with me to read when I have some time to kill and I've enjoyed it so far. Some of the stories in it are pretty weird (in a good way).

CygnusZ

Not sure if they're available in English or not, but Murakami wrote a series of columns for Asashi newspaper, just about his daily life, which are pretty good. Also, I'm pretty sure 1Q84 has come out in English by now, although it's a spiritual sequel to Windup Bird so you should probably read that first.

Zeromus

I went with Wind-Up Bird! And am really enjoying it so far. Thanks, guys!

CygnusZ: 1Q84 comes out October 25th. In the U.S., anyway.

admanb

And having read Wind-Up, Kafka, and Sputnik, I bought Norwegian Wood. So... go this thread!