Book 20: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruku Murakami

Title: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Author: Haruki Murakami

Length: 386 pages

Year Written: 2014

Why I chose this book: Because I fucking love Murakami!

I fucking love Murakami! I just realized I sort of have a thing in general for Japanese (and even Japanese-American) authors, but when it comes down to it, nothing really beats Murakami. This is the second book by him I've read so far this year. The other day, I tweeted this: 

It sounds like I'm criticizing him, or emphasizing his topical limitations in a negative way, but the fact is that Murakami truly owns the writerly space he occupies. Reading a book by Murakami is like eating a piece of sushi that Jiro made. It's like drinking a cappuccino made by a 10-year barista veteran. Colorless is one of the less complex novels in Murakami's repertoire, but it still involves many (if not all) of the same themes that are found in all of his other novels. When reading Murakami, expect to encounter dreams, fantasies that are realities (and vice-versa), strange spiritual occurrences, and some type of graphic, if not also deviant, sexual activity. It's kind of like Murakami is a chef with just a few ingredients, but can mix them a million different ways to create many uniquely enjoyable dishes.

The main character of Colorless is (no surprise here) Tsukuru Tazaki, a 36-year-old man who has lived his entire adult life in the shadow of something that happened to him in college—his four closest friends cut him off completely and without explanation. As the title suggests, Tsukuru goes on a pilgrimage, or rather, realizes he has been on one for years. It is a very simple story, almost childish at first, before it develops into quite the layered yet placid plotline. It is a book for wanderers, for observers, for special people who don't realize how special they are.

Rating: 9.6/10