Jeannine's comments (member since Jun 18, 2007)

Jeannine's comments from the Murakami fans group.

Dear Paige,
I think if you read the book as an extended metaphor containing the two internal psyches of a Sleeping Beauty/Snow White Character - the wounded beautiful victim and the strong, smart, capable woman who wants to be part of the world - the book becomes more coherent and the symbolism makes a lot of sense. At least that's how I read it, and I was very impressed.

Osamu Dazai's short stories - in Blue Bamboo and Crackling Mountain and Other Stories - remind me of Murakami quite a bit. Same dark sense of humor, pop culture references, magical realism.

I finished After Dark recently and I was thrilled with it; I thought it was a perfect example of what Murakami does well with scene, dialogue, characters, and the weaving of myth and pop culture into a realistic story.