I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy it because I’d got off to a slow start

I’ve finally finished reading it.

Haruki Murakami, *1Q84*

Since I’m in the service industry, I really ought to have read a book that’s caused such a stir in the public eye

I thought to myself, ‘I really must read this, mustn’t I?’

 

 

 

It’s a bit of a cliché, but I found it entertaining (am I in primary school or something?).

When I read book reviews in various magazines, blogs and the like,

Opinions are all over the place, though...

Also, whilst many people have commented that the style of this work differs from Murakami’s previous works,

I can’t really say about that.

It’s because I’ve never actually finished reading any other full-length novel.

I would always lose momentum halfway through reading it and end up putting it aside.

Precisely because that wasn’t the case this time, I found it an enjoyable read (and easy to read).

I suppose so. Probably.

Even when it comes to his works, I can get through his translated books and essays quite easily, though.

 

So, actually, I didn’t just want to let you know that I’d finished reading *1Q84*, but rather,

As you read on, there’s a bit that’ll probably catch the eye of any shoe enthusiast…

 

 

One of the characters is a man called ‘Tamaru’.

So, the shoes Tamar is wearing are…

‘Spotless, jet-black cordovan’

Apparently.

 

 

 

As for *Aoda*, one of the main characters with whom Tamaru has a connection,

There are many proper nouns referring to items of clothing and jewellery that the characters are wearing.

‘Ray-Ban sunglasses’

‘Junko Shimada’s light green woollen suit’

‘Charles Jordan’s chestnut-coloured heels’, etc…

The same goes for the titles of the songs and the names of the musicians that feature here and there.

And yet, the descriptions of what Tamar wears are limited to mere details.

In that case, why not just say ‘black leather shoes’?

When you put it like that, it really does make me wonder.

 

Tamaru is portrayed as rather fussy—the sort of person who would get worked up over a tiny speck of dust on her shoes.

I wonder which brand makes the cordovan shoes that he’s so fond of…

I was always worrying about things like that.

 

Even after finishing BOOKS 1 and 2, there are still many mysteries that remain unsolved, but,

This is the biggest mystery for me.

That’s completely unrelated to the main point, isn’t it?

Yes, I’m sorry.

But Tamaru’s brilliant, isn’t she?

I wonder if she’s wearing something like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, the two main characters in this film seem to enjoy a drink, and there are a great many scenes in which they are drinking.

In some places, it goes into great detail, even covering specific brands and ways of drinking.

Reading scenes like that makes me fancy a drink myself, and,

There were plenty of times when I’d find myself drifting off to sleep with an empty whisky glass in my hand…

His new translation of *Goodbye, My Love* had plenty of those too, but was that down to the original text?

Or is this the case in his other works as well?

I suppose I’ll give some of his other works a go, too. Starting with *Norwegian Wood*, perhaps.

I do actually own quite a few things. Although I’ve had loads of setbacks…

 

 

 

…In my next blog post, I’ll be writing about that person who also seems to be a bit of a drinker.

That’s the person who loves a Martini when it comes to cocktails and Bollinger when it comes to champagne.

That person always looks so stylish, right down to what they’re wearing.

 

 

 

 

(Benchmark Ueda)