Haruki Murakami
Knopf
December 2014
I was drawn to read this book by a variety of reviews and the national attention it garnered in the past month or so. The discussion of the expected audience (juvenile or adult) and the mixed media (text and color illustrations) made it appear out of the ordinary. And so it is.
What's different about this book
Everything. The text is accessible enough, and the unusual tone justified by an unusual author adds to the ethos of the story. A fairly short read, it doesn't present challenges of the usual kind. The illustrations echo the story line in its strange feel. The story is about a very strange library, and the story itself is strange. After I finished it, I realized I should have expected that sort of story, given that it is best categorized as magical realism. I would need a book group to help me do justice to understanding the work.
What I'll do now that I've read it
I consider this a difficult book to share through reader's advisory or individual consultation with other readers. Reading this book is an "experience," but not one I'm sure many will seek. We have added the title to our libraries, but I'm somewhat stumped as to whom I should talk to about it. We'll set it aside for now and see if the right reader comes along. As Ranganathan assured us, "every book its reader."
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