Thursday 14 February 2019

Men Without Women - Haruki Murakami

Men Without Women is a collection of short stories from the Japanese author. It contains seven stories about single men, and their histories or encounters with the women in their lives, who are no longer
around.



The stories in this collection all share the one common theme - all the main characters are men, who have no women in their lives - I should add they are all straight men, so they are living their lives without partners. The stories all share this theme, so it would be reasonable to expect seven very similar stories here, about miserable men moping about their bachelorhood, but the seven tales all very hugely in their style and tone. The first Drive my Car is a realistic tale about a widower trying to figure out his late wife's affairs, and her reasons for them - which is a fairly straight forward story, with no surreal surprises, but then one of the other stories Samsa In Love is an unofficial sequel to Kafka's Metamorphosis, where Gregor Samsa has returned to human form and has an encounter with a woman, and not understanding what is happening, which is pretty out there and is a great example of the weirdness Murakami is sometimes known for. The varying styles here, from the ordinary to the surreal and almost fantastical make this book very interesting. It gives it the opportunity to delve into the alienation these men are feeling, and it gives scope to the Men Without Women. It's not just one story on repeat of single ageing men - they all have backgrounds and stories to tell, and mysteries in their past that they can't really explain.

The feeling I had after putting this book down is one of Sonder- that is the realisation that everyone lives a life as full as your own, with their own histories and ambitions and emotions. All these men which could be written off as lonely old fools have all the emotions and thoughts and pasts as a man who has been married for 50 years.They have their own reasons for being alone - death of their wives, infidelity, or wanting to live their own ways. There's no one reason why these men end up alone, and none of them have simple pasts. There are mysteries that are impossible to piece together - and that's how life is sometimes.

 Ultimately, this book is about love, and is romantic in a way - showing how love can define our lives and characters, but it says something more about a nearly universal condition - that of wanting a partner (although this isn't the case in all the stories), and of loneliness. Great collection of short stories, and it's clear to see why Murakami is held as one of the best writers around.


2 comments:

  1. I'm definitely adding more Murakami books on my TBR! I'm joining a readalong of Sputnik Sweetheart on Instagram and I can't wait to dive into it!

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  2. This sounds like a wonderful read, and I love how every short story is different, while still holding on to similar themes throughout the book. I may have to add it to my TBR --- great review!

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