Happy New Year! And welcome to the first review of 2025, and it felt so appropriate that it would be for the newest release by legendary Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. I was so excited when the English translation of The City and Its Uncertain Walls had finally reached the U.S. in late 2024, and could not read it fast enough. Covering a Murakami book in the early part of the new year has become sort of a tradition on this blog, and I love being able to continue it with a new release.
The Situation: At 17 years-old, the nameless narrator is attending school and deeply in love with a 16 year-old girl. They do not go to school together, but met when they each won prizes in an essay contest. Now they see each other when they can and remain committed to each other, though the narrator admits to not really knowing all that much about her. One day, the girl tells him about a town where she believes her real self resides. The town is surrounded by a high wall, and while the narrator could go there if he liked, she warns him that her real self that lives there would not recognize him. Naturally, he is not sure if he can believe her. Unfortunately, she disappears, seemingly leaving no trace behind, and this mystery will haunt the narrator for the remainder of his life.
The Problem: Though the nameless narrator will manage to continue living on - attending college, getting a job, even dating other women - his existence does not feel complete, though by all accounts, the only thing that would appear to be 'missing' from his life is a wife and family. But even into middle age, the narrator is not able to move past the young girl he loved that disappeared years before. When he finds himself in the mysterious town the girl had spoken about, the one surrounded by a high wall, he is able to get used to the new surroundings, even securing a job as a dream reader. This begins the man's adventures between both this world, and the town with the high walls, where unicorns roam and the wall seems to have a life of its own.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction set in several locations throughout Japan, but mostly in a small mountain town where the nameless narrator eventually takes a job as a head librarian, and also in the mysterious town surrounded by the high wall. As is usual with a Murakami book, I have to pull out my Murakami Bingo card and see what common themes readers can cross out. First on the list is 'mysterious woman,' but also worth mentioning are cats, urban ennui, parallel worlds, supernatural powers, precocious teenager, even cooking and unusual name (or rather, no name at all). In the afterword, Murakami mentions that this is a reworking of a novella from many decades ago, and is closely related to a previous novel, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
My Verdict: If you are someone who is not at all comforted by the phrase "It's about the journey, not the destination," then this book is probably not going to be for you. With over 400 pages, there is plenty that happens, with a lot intrigue and mystery, and where not every little thing is explained (even the narrator admits to not understanding everything that is happening and that is being told to him). Readers who love a solid resolution with every question answered by the end of the story may be disappointed, but there is a mystery here, and a strange quest with even stranger characters, that kept me engaged for the entire journey, even as things became more confusing. Lovers of Murakami's work, especially the ones involving parallel worlds, will be pleased.
Favorite Moment: There is a teenage boy who comes into the library and seemingly favors incredibly long books over shorter ones. My favorite moments came from when Mrs. Soeda would list off the books the boys has read.
Favorite Character: There are almost more characters without names in this book than there are with names, and Mrs. Soeda is one of the few in the latter category. She is a librarian working under the narrator in the small mountain town, and serves as a practical, helpful, and grounding presence as strange events occur around them.
Recommended Reading: A Wild Sheep Chase remains my favorite Murakami book, but many seem to have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle be their introduction to his work.
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