Scan barcode
A review by kdgarcia614
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
3.0
At worst, the short stories in this book are mildly interesting or forgettable. At best, they’ll stick with you for years. At least, that’s my experience.
I read “The Little Green Monster” and “Barn Burning” for a high school English class, the latter of which soon became one of my favorite short stories of all time. Don’t ask me why, but I haven’t forgotten about it for over six years now. I finally decided to read the whole collection recently, and I was a little disappointed.
The collection would easily get four stars from me, even though some of the stories fell flat. I think the good ones make up for it. But Murakami sexualizes women SO MUCH in these short stories. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know what to expect with older male authors. I see it all the time. Murakami doesn’t even treat women badly, per se. But his characters are almost constantly womanizers and cheaters.
I was so intrigued by “The Window,” for example, as a story of genuine human connection, until it was ruined by “maybe I should have sex with her.” When one character is mowing lawns, he recalls having sex with a married woman whom he was working for. His characters don’t love their girlfriends, but they do love seeing them naked.
This put me off, but I still liked most of the stories. Murakami’s style really shines through as he writes about the mundane and the fantastical. It’s an easy read, although maybe not all at once.
TLDR: I’ve read works by Murakami that have substantial, multi-dimensional woman characters. This is not one of them. It’s still worth the read in my opinion, but keep that in mind. I recommend “Barn Burning” and “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl”. I was especially bored by “The Kangaroo Communiqué” and “Lederhosen”.
I read “The Little Green Monster” and “Barn Burning” for a high school English class, the latter of which soon became one of my favorite short stories of all time. Don’t ask me why, but I haven’t forgotten about it for over six years now. I finally decided to read the whole collection recently, and I was a little disappointed.
The collection would easily get four stars from me, even though some of the stories fell flat. I think the good ones make up for it. But Murakami sexualizes women SO MUCH in these short stories. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know what to expect with older male authors. I see it all the time. Murakami doesn’t even treat women badly, per se. But his characters are almost constantly womanizers and cheaters.
I was so intrigued by “The Window,” for example, as a story of genuine human connection, until it was ruined by “maybe I should have sex with her.” When one character is mowing lawns, he recalls having sex with a married woman whom he was working for. His characters don’t love their girlfriends, but they do love seeing them naked.
This put me off, but I still liked most of the stories. Murakami’s style really shines through as he writes about the mundane and the fantastical. It’s an easy read, although maybe not all at once.
TLDR: I’ve read works by Murakami that have substantial, multi-dimensional woman characters. This is not one of them. It’s still worth the read in my opinion, but keep that in mind. I recommend “Barn Burning” and “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl”. I was especially bored by “The Kangaroo Communiqué” and “Lederhosen”.