【Reading】After reading Haruki Murakami's "Sputnik Lover"

When it comes to Haruki Murakami's romance novels, the first thing most people think of is probably "Norwegian Woods". Murakami does say in the book's preface that this is the first romance novel he's ever attempted. In fact, when "Norwegian Wood" was adapted into a film for publicity, it also featured a heart-piercing romantic love story.

However, I don't understand it that way.

Uchida Tree once said in "Beware of Murakami Haruki" ( Murakami Haruki に ご Heart): Murakami will deliberately write some plots that do not fit in with the time as a prank. And this kind of prank is an Easter egg that only people who lived with him in that era can understand.

Therefore, I don't think the attempt proclaimed in that preamble should be taken as it is. Because maybe it's Mr. Murakami's prank again.

From what I read, "Norwegian Wood" is actually talking about " the urge toward death that cannot be redeemed even by love ". No matter how much the male protagonist loves the girl, the girl is still haunted by an unexplained heart disease, and ends up in a sanatorium, and then commits suicide silently without saying a word or even a suicide note.

In other words, "love" is not great enough to save everyone like a Hollywood movie.

On the contrary, everyone has a Norwegian forest that is inaccessible to anyone. Once there is a heavy snowstorm there, you can only guard her silently and wait for the snowstorm to pass. The blizzard may or may not pass, this is not within the reach of manpower . This sense of helplessness and powerlessness towards the spiritual realm of others is the core of the story.

"Norwegian Woods" was written in 1987, and another travel journal, "Drums in the Distance", was written about Murakami's travels around Europe between 1986 and 1989. In the book, Murakami mentioned that after he won the Newcomer Award, because of the media attention that followed, he was under too much pressure and appeared to be suspected of depression.

Comparing the two books, you can vaguely see how behind this pseudo-love story lies the depression and sadness that he can't tell anyone. The manifesto of the love story in the preface, I doubt, is a little trick to hide this deep sadness.

So every time I see an ad that trumpets "Norwegian Wood" as a super-romantic love story ( selected for Valentine's Day ), I get a misplaced sense of some absurd drama.

Well, maybe only lovers with strong affection can resist this bottomless sense of nihilism . Fortunately, it is not selected for the Mid-Autumn Festival or the end of the year that will promote the suicide rate. the caring .

Compared with "Norwegian Wood" as a pseudo love story, I think "Sputnik Lover" is a real love story .

However, it is said that Murakami stated in the "Problem Solving" of "The Complete Works of Murakami Haruki 1990-2000. 2" published by Kodansha that "Sputnik Lover" was a work of his writing style. He hopes to get rid of the flood of metaphors in writing in the past, and move towards another form of writing that is more washable.

Therefore, as a farewell, he has very heroically subverted a lot of metaphors in this novel!

This can be seen from the first paragraph of the novel:

"In the spring of the age of twenty-two, Jin Yu fell in love for the first time in her life. It was a love that was as swift and violent as a tornado that swept across the boundless grassland. It was rolled up into the sky one after another, torn to shreds without any explanation, and smashed to pieces. Then it blew across the ocean without any loss of momentum, mercilessly scraped down Angkor Wat, and burned the Indian forest with groups of pitiful tigers. Turned into a sandstorm of the Persian desert, burying the entire exotic castle city in the sand. It was a total monumental love.”

Very rude.

But unfortunately, I love this metaphor.

If you want to explain to people what love is all about, I think that's it!

However, the proliferation of metaphors that Murakami wanted to throw away was actually a passage I admired a lot! When I discovered this fact, it made me wonder if I was wrong with this writer. (wry smile)

But without further ado, Sputnik Lover is really well written.

First, there are plenty of straight male writers who write lesbian love stories, but few who do well and don't look like men pretending to be women . (It is often seen that some plots will make people feel that this is not the words and deeds of women) This is the first and most appreciated place.

Second, its story itself, on the one hand, is heart-wrenchingly real, but on the other hand, you have to admit that it is very brilliantly written, and it brings out the mysterious elements that make up all heartbreaks.

The story tells the story of the heroine Jin, a close male friend who is two years older than her (that is, the first-person protagonist), and an older woman, Min, who has caused her a stormy relationship. Like a puzzle piece missing a piece, no one can just achieve a happy relationship.

The only one who could hit it off and be happy was Jin and Min who went to another world.

But what kind of parallel world is that? How to get there? We know nothing like the hero.

However, the hero who lost Sumire and Min in the real world, at the same time, were taken away by the missing Sumire with what was left of them (perhaps something like the color of life).

In this world, like an empty shell that has turned into bones, it continues to orbit around life correctly and regularly (also like the artificial satellite (スプートニク/Sputnik) that always surrounds but cannot approach the planet) waiting for Sumire. day back again.

Yes, in other words, this is also a sad love story.

As the story goes: "People who get shot will bleed."

The reality is so skinny and boring, there is no room for compromise, and the side of the parallel world is so plump.

Jin may have noticed this, so she chased after Min's lost libido and black hair, and fell into Alice's boundless dream. So, this is also a (too) realistic love story.

Advocated by commercial activities, it seems that happy love is the norm, and thus it seems that being single or broken-hearted is an anomaly. But reading "Sputnik Lover" will make people realize silently: " Finding a person who just happens to have no regrets is not easy (and almost impossible) in the first place."*

* On the fifth Murakami Radio broadcast, Haruki Murakami received a letter from a female reader who had read his "Meet the 100% Girl", saying that she was on a blind date recently. But he can only meet 90% of men at most. When he was worried about what to do if he met 100% of men who were married in the future, Murakami laughed and said, "There are 90% in life (in other words). How on earth is this percentage calculated?) You can get married, and we will talk about the future!" It's probably like this.

From this perspective, Murakami's story is rather realistic rather than surreal.

Because of the love stories he has written, the only person who doesn't end up sadly in love is Aomame in "1Q94". The ending was so good that I thought I wasn't reading Haruki Murakami. (And many of the buried stalks are unsolved, I think this happy ending is a bit perfunctory)

On the contrary, the story itself, while tragic, is very vivid in its depiction. Especially between different characters who can talk to each other but like each other but have no sexual desire, or have sexual desire but cannot get along spiritually, the heartache and helplessness caused by these subtle dislocations are very real. Let the readers feel sad when they read it, as if the one who is in love and lost is himself.

It is recommended to read it for friends who are broken-hearted and need to cry a lot, or whose unrequited love can't be achieved, and their hearts are very tired. Probably will be very empathetic.

Recommended index: 4.8 ★ ★ ★ ★ ✮