Author Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” calls back to his much earlier work “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World,” presenting an alternate version of the magical “Town” that much of that novel centers on. The fractured narrative juxtaposes the seemingly ordinary life of a middle-aged man who suddenly decides to become a librarian with two tales of his past: one, the mournful story of his first love at 17; the other, a story about an alternate version of himself who becomes trapped in a strange, sometimes frightening reality outside of our own. Not every question the story presents is answered, but the pieces all come together in an emotionally satisfying way.
Three words that describe this book: Mysterious, longing, experimental
You might want to pick this book up if: You like Murakami’s other works (especially “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World”) or the puzzle-box narratives of television shows like “Severance” or “Dark.”
-Eric
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
