The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel

it's hard to describe this book and what happens in a coherent way. things change so frequently yet all seem tired together and grounded no matter how surreal things get. It's a story that will make you reflect on your self, but also those around you as the topic of self is often discussed. I highly recommend giving this novel a read, as I've just finished it and would be glad to go back to page 1 and read it again.

I was worried that I wasnt going to like this book, since it seemed to be adding surrealism for the sake of adding more surrealism. Fortunately, all of the symbols and character motivations are cleared up at the end, albeit subtly. There were moments where I wanted to give up reading the novel, because it tended to drag on. I'm glad I didn't, because there were many connections between the many characters' back-stories and Toru Okada's "misfortunes". The main thing I appreciated about the story was the author's stance on existentialism. While it can be pretty unusual and unrelatable sometimes, it offers a new concept for the reader to ponder. Overall, it definitely isn't for everyone and I can see its flaws, but personally, I really enjoyed it.

This book wasn't exactly a page turner for me. It certainly had some tense moments, interesting characters, and underlying symbolism to keep me guessing. In fact, I'm still sorting through the unseen bird, the foreboding well, and a small blue mark.