Tag: Japanese fiction
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Book Review – Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a story of two parts and two worlds, a story that encapsulates two very different sides of Haruki Murakami’s writing. One part: a Tokyo muchly similar to contemporary Tokyo but with a cyber twist, where our narrator lives a life typical to all Murakami’s male narrators…
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Book Review – South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami is a story of childhood soulmates, who drift apart in adolescence before meeting again years later. Hajime, our narrator, and Shimamoto meet as children and, as two rare only children in their neighbourhood, they naturally develop a bond; but, as time progresses, this bond…
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Book Review – Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura is a magical but ultimately profound tale that weaves Japanese culture and tradition, fantasy and Western fairytales with a meditation on the complexities and pressures of adolescence. Kokoro has been staying home from school, following a traumatic incident, as she weighs up the option of transferring to…