1Q84
Haruki Murakami (2011); translated from Japanese by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel
PL856.U673 A61213 2011
Stylistically a masterpiece, even more so when one realizes that most Westerners are reading the translation of one of the great works of literature; and even then, two translators are at work - the second translator seems to be channeling the first - in what appears to be a seamless translation from the original Japanese. Which is even made more impressive in that many words, such as “mind” – in Japanese the closest word is “kokoro,” - don’t have a direct equivalent. And, make no mistake, the use of language in 1Q84 pulls us through the novel even as we attempt to slow down and appreciate what we are reading.
While 1Q84 is a great literature it by no means wears the heavy mantle of a reverential greatness. The novel is playful, compelling, thoughtful, sensual, mind-bending, challenging and, mysterious – almost akin to Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49. It is also about language, love, lost love and found love.
Deliberately set in 1984, 1Q84 is a reality (or is it?) that runs parallel to the year 1984 and in which several characters find themselves. In Tokyo and its environs a young woman, Aomame - who has strong ties to a young man, Tengo, who is an aspiring novelist with an unusual project - punishes perpetrators of domestic violence. Most of the narrative is composed of alternating storylines as told by Aomame and Tengo. For both, who knew each other when they were young school children and then lost touch with one another, major events cause them to have memories that don’t match up with stories reported in the news – and both, along with several other characters, see two moons after they’ve been shunted onto and into the parallel time of 1Q84. Filled with shadowy organizations, hit men (and women) and noir characters 1Q84 is also a fairy tale that opens by quoting lyrics from Billy Rose and “Hip” Harburg’s, “It’s Only a Paper Moon.” Will Aomame and Tengo find each other and will they ever get back to 1984 and a world with only one moon? Only after almost 900 pages of exquisite torture are we prepared to learn the answers to those questions in a most remarkable book.
