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A review by randombookswithmj
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
4.25
Haruki Murakami's The City and Its Uncertain Walls is one of those novels that I’m still trying to resolve; two weeks later. I’m still unsure how I feel about it, but there's no denying that it’s a fascinating experience. The writing is, as always, impeccable. Murakami’s prose draws you into a world that feels dreamlike and uncertain, where nothing is fully explained, and everything is open to interpretation.
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most was how Murakami never named his characters. The protagonist is simply "I", and the others are described through their roles or pronouns. It creates a sense of detachment, as if we're seeing them through an unclear lens, which perfectly complements the surreal and mysterious tone of the story.
The narrative itself leaves you guessing: What is real? What’s imagined? Is it about life, death, a parallel timeline, or something entirely different? The lines between reality and illusion blur to the point where you can never be sure if you’re in reality or some altered mental state. This ambiguity is summed up perfectly in a quote (page 189): “I had a sense of a twist warping, ever so slightly, space and time. The feeling of two things mixing together, as if part of a boundary had collapsed, become vague, with something else mixed in here and there, with reality.”
As for Murakami’s portrayal of women, I’m still unsure if I find it captivating or unsettling. There’s an eerie quality to how he writes female characters that I can’t fully reconcile with. Maybe it’s the way they often seem to exist as ethereal beings rather than fully realized people. That said, I can’t deny that the characters are intriguing, if a bit hard to grasp.
Would I recommend this book? Truthfully, I’m not sure. Ultimately, I did enjoy the book. Its enigmatic nature makes it hard to rate definitively, and my feelings may evolve with time as I reflect on it. If you're looking for something that will challenge your perception and leave you questioning reality, this would be a great choice. It would make excellent selection for a book club, as the themes of ambiguity and the search for meaning would surely spark some fascinating discussions.
Thank you to @penguinrandomca and @doubledayca for the arc copy and the opportunity to read and review this novel.
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most was how Murakami never named his characters. The protagonist is simply "I", and the others are described through their roles or pronouns. It creates a sense of detachment, as if we're seeing them through an unclear lens, which perfectly complements the surreal and mysterious tone of the story.
The narrative itself leaves you guessing: What is real? What’s imagined? Is it about life, death, a parallel timeline, or something entirely different? The lines between reality and illusion blur to the point where you can never be sure if you’re in reality or some altered mental state. This ambiguity is summed up perfectly in a quote (page 189): “I had a sense of a twist warping, ever so slightly, space and time. The feeling of two things mixing together, as if part of a boundary had collapsed, become vague, with something else mixed in here and there, with reality.”
As for Murakami’s portrayal of women, I’m still unsure if I find it captivating or unsettling. There’s an eerie quality to how he writes female characters that I can’t fully reconcile with. Maybe it’s the way they often seem to exist as ethereal beings rather than fully realized people. That said, I can’t deny that the characters are intriguing, if a bit hard to grasp.
Would I recommend this book? Truthfully, I’m not sure. Ultimately, I did enjoy the book. Its enigmatic nature makes it hard to rate definitively, and my feelings may evolve with time as I reflect on it. If you're looking for something that will challenge your perception and leave you questioning reality, this would be a great choice. It would make excellent selection for a book club, as the themes of ambiguity and the search for meaning would surely spark some fascinating discussions.
Thank you to @penguinrandomca and @doubledayca for the arc copy and the opportunity to read and review this novel.