To Strange Libraries

Haruki Murakami

I have been in a bit of a reading desert as of late. Nothing seems to perk my interest, but the author Murakami kept being spoken of on the podcasts that I happen to listen to. So I downloaded it to my Libby app and started reading it.

It was a really short story; took me perhaps 15 minutes to read it. What a weird, weird book. It is supposedly a children’s book which makes it even more curious. It is about a young man who goes to the library to read about ‘Tax collection in the Ottoman Empire’ which sounds like a real barnburner of a read. He meets a man who tells him to go to another room to read as the books he wants are not allowed out of the library. I do not want to be a spoiler type of fella, but he is trapped by some mystical people. All along he really seems to be more worried about what his mother is going to think or say…dude needs to get cut the umbilical cord I think.

Listen - it was a short read and it was laden with metaphor. It is a compact, surreal whirlwind—equal parts fairy tale and fever dream. Its striking visuals amplify Murakami’s trademark mix of whimsy and menace. He would describe in vivid detail characters that seemed more at home in Alice in Wonderland, all while threatening to kill the protaganist. Whether you're drawn to its labyrinths, creepy characters, or surreal unease, it’s a weird little book that leaves you wondering that the hell you just read.

On the left is the book cover and above is a really trippy video that would only make sense if you have read the book. So go read the book and come back - or don’t.