Paperback Review: Sputnik Sweetheart
"Understanding is but the sum of Misunderstandings"
Name: Sputnik Sweetheart
Author: Haruki Murakami
Publisher : Vintage Books
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Format: Kindle/Paperback
Price: 270 / 599 INR
Buy from Here: Sputnik Sweetheart
Sputnik Sweetheart is a story of an unusual love triangle between K, Sumerie, and Miu. A school teacher, an aspiring novelist, and a businesswoman. All three of them seek the love of the other. As the friendship between K and Sumerie flourishes, Sumerie falls in love with Miu, 17 years elder woman. As K struggles between the decision to confess his love for Sumerie or to let go of his feeling, he receives a call troubled call from Miu, Sumerie has suddenly disappeared from a Greek Island. Where is Sumerie, how did she end up on a Greek island and will K finally be able to confess his love? A thought-provoking story about love, friendship, and deeper meaning to relations and how they work...
I started this novel unaware of Murakami's unique writing style, and I was totally impressed by the writing style and theme explored in the book, even though it feels like a love story from a wider angle if one stepped closer into the story one can notice, it's so much more than just a love triangle, one just needs to know how to read between the lines. I loved how all the three main characters of the novel have totally different personalities, all of them equally interesting, I loved the character of K the most. I loved how a bitter emotion like loneliness is described so beautifully. I also loved how humans and our yearning metaphorically described through the sputnik satellite. after reading the complete book I loved how the title and cover of the book does total justice to the story. I also loved the way Murakami describes each minute detail of the setting, really easing in to it, I finished the book in morning and was unable to get it out of my mind till the next day, when I picked up another book, that's the effect Murakami has on his readers
Being my first Murakami book, I was both shocked and amazed by how open ended the book is. It might come-out to be bit monotonous for the people who are not very used to reading between the lines. I was left with the feeling of loneliness and frustration on towards the end imagining multiple outcomes. The untied loose ends were also very frustrating. I was able to understand (might be just my way of thinking) how the characters thought or dreamed due to the events that took place and their unconscious mind capturing the events, how ever I would have loved to know what caused the state of mind after hearing the music on the Greek Island.
Conclusion: deep thinkers and people who like open-ended books would love the book.
Rating: It's 4.5/5 for me.
About the Author: Born koyoto in the year 1949, Murakami is a Japanese author now lives in Tokyo. His work has been translated in more than fifty languages, and the most recent of his man y international honors is the Jerusalem Prize. His other work include Norwegian wood (Available Here), Kafka on the shore (Available Here), Men without women(Available Here)
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