Review of 1Q84

Review of 1Q84

By: Haruki Murakami

1Q84 narrates the lives of Aomame and Tengo Kawana in Tokyo, Japan during an alternate version of 1984.  The two had been in love since they were ten years old and had a brief physical connection when they held hands, but were separated when Aomame’s parents had taken her out of the school, because the school’s approach to learning clashed with their religious beliefs as Witnesses. Years later the  both of them ended up in this altered version of 1984 where they get mixed up with this religious cult known as Sakigake.  Unknowingly, Tengo, who is an editor as well as a math teacher at a cram school, is recruited to rewrite Air Chrysalis, a novel written by a teenager, Fuka Eri.  She is the daughter of the leader of the religious cult, and a victim of their bizarre beliefs.  Aomame is hired by a Dowager, to take out the leader, because he rapes woman and young girls as part of his beliefs.  The Dowager offers the women a safe haven. Tengo and Aomame slowly piece together why they are trapped in this alternate universe made up of two moons and why they’re connected to Sakigake and each other.  It’s an intriguing puzzle of a story that comes together in over a thousand pages.

The book, 1Q84, is compelling and thought provoking as it takes you through the lives of ordinary people, who experience this bizarre situation that puts their lives at risk.  Although, the book is an intriguing plot the pacing is slow.  There are several plots details that were not necessary and some that were necessary to tell the story.  Like Aomame has a sexual relationship with another woman, even though she was not homosexual.  To be fair, I think the author had intended to show a close bond between the two women, and how Aomame cared for her, showing  how powerful the impact of her death would be.  Though, I don’t think it was necessary for them to have a sexual relationship.  The author probably could have shaved off a lot of the book.  It is more of a book you read to be challenged and to think through.  

The characters were common and ordinary people, but got mixed up in an extraordinary situation, so you wonder how they’ll handle the situation they’re in.  The writing style was easy to understand and read, it was just a lot to read.  The author did a great job describing things and giving the characters individuality.  Such as character Fuka Eri with her unique way of speaking.  She would never ask questions, but say them as if they were statements.  She was also a very emotionless person, not just with the way she said things, but in her actions and reactions.  The author also uses symbolism like the two moons that are the major difference in this alternate universe that Tengo and Aomame are trapped in.  It is also the thing that connects the story of Air Chrysalis to the “real world”.

This is not a book for younger readers, not just because of it’s dense material, but because of the adult content.  There is sexual content and references to using drugs, specifically using “Hash”.  I would give this book a B on a rating scale of letters.