Is there a sexual tension between Kafuku and Watari? (Still not sure, but not really that important.) Did you notice the parallel between his blind spot in life and the blind spot he had with his wife? (I almost missed it) A real taste of things to come. Okay- Rapid fire reviewISH of each story. With his thorough observation and wry humour Murakami masterfully puts you at such ease and empathy with character you don’t judge him instead you begin to question the events and what they mean. Men Without Women – having feelings for another woman. Yesterday – What can be/could have been? An Independent organ- love sick suicide. Each story wants you to unpack levels of very complicated ideas, by this I mean there is usually a situation which seems pretty black and white on the surface, but he throws you in a very personable and situational standpoint to make you question your own feelings of thoughts on the matter. Men Without Women has a very philosophical tone to it, existential even, and even bordering on the paranormal (like in Kino). Each story leaves you with so many questions and that’s obviously the point. It’s so detailed yet seemingly unimportant that it pulls you in to the world, relaxed and un-judgemental.Īs you make your way through the story you quickly develop a sort of comradery or understanding of the character. Point in case, the way he describes the Saab in the first story. You go in blind to each story and he begins with such normality yet so descriptive that it just “settles you in” ready for the story to unwind. Using these, he describes the world around the central character and his relationship to the People, place and things.

Murakami is a master of the observational and the natural conversation and even stream of thought. Right away you get thrown into each story at a point in time.

It’s hard to do a review of multiple stories especially of ones with so many layers, so I’ll give a general one and then a short review of each story.

However it’s almost without saying that each story revolves around women or more to the point a woman and their relationship (or lack thereof) to the central character. Men without women is a collection of short stories the common thread being the title of the book.

Men and women murakami