Description

A mesmerising mystery story about friendship from the internationally bestselling author of Norwegian Wood and 1Q84

Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning ‘red pine’, and Oumi, ‘blue sea’, while the girls’ names were Shirane, ‘white root’, and Kurono, ‘black field’. Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it.

One day Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends announced that they didn’t want to see him, or talk to him, ever again.

Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago.

Publisher Review

A naturalistic coming-of-age story... sprinkled with strange images and written in a hauntingly mournful key * Guardian * [Murakmi's] elegant, frugal prose creates a tale of courage and hope as Tsukuru tries to unlock the secrets of his past * Stylist * Critics have variously likened Murakami to Raymond Carver, Raymond Chandler, Arthur C Clarke, Don DeLillo, Philip K Dick, Bret Easton Ellis and Thomas Pynchon - a roster so ill-assorted to suggest he is in fact an original * New York Times * A rich and even brilliant piece of work... Genuinely resonant and satisfying -- James Walton * Spectator * This is a book for both the new and experienced reader....[it] reveals another side of Murakami, one not so easy to pin down. Incurably restive, ambiguous and valiantly struggling toward a new level of maturation -- Patti Smith * New York Times *