The novel takes the form of a split narrative, with chapters alternating between those following the narrator’s life in Tokyo and those exploring a mysterious, lugubrious Town. With that in mind, I decided to add Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, his fourth novel, to my reading list. Yet, the opinions of the author’s biggest fans tend towards recommending his earlier novels as those with the greatest merit. With the release of Killing Commendatore last year, I found myself becoming increasingly bored by the repetitions that can make Murakami’s novel blend together with a lack of real distinction. Although something of a tongue-in-cheek joke, the idea of playing ‘Murakami bingo’ as an accompaniment to reading his works is not without foundation. The challenge with this, however, is Murakami’s repetitive themes. Since Murakami also writes in a genre peculiarly unique to himself, there are few novels external to the author’s own that provide a sufficient ‘bridge’ over from Murakami’s works. For new fans of Haruki Murakami, there is understandable excitement around the sheer number of books that the author has produced. Although you may still find yourself waiting around for that next highly anticipated release, having a full library of novels with which to preoccupy yourself is as close to euphoria as many of us get. One of the best parts of discovering a new novelist with prodigious literary history is the opportunity this affords to work through their back-catalogue of publications.

If a mind you have, then use it while you can’.”

Open your eyes, train your ears, use your head. That is as much as anyone can tell you the rest you must learn for yourself. If you cannot see that, then it has nothing. The things you need, the things you need to know, one by one the Town will set these before you. ‘There are things that cannot and should not be explained. ” ‘Not even I know all the rules’, says the old officer under his breath.

Haruki murakami end of the world