âColorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimageâ book review
By Joshua Grant, Senior Columnist
5/5
At first blush, Haruki Murakamiâs latest work, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage might come off as a particularly miserable fairy tale. Itâs written in that simple style, and magic seems to existânot in the world as such but oozing out from beneath the carpets and pooling in the corners of rooms, mixing with dust and selfish tears.
Like in other major Murakami works, the protagonist is a lone male with emotional issues. Unlike 1Q84âsTengo and The Wind-up Bird ChronicleâsToru, Tsukuru is principally defined by his relationships, or lack thereof. He feels that, compared to his ex-friends who broke it off with him under mysterious circumstances years before, he is colourless and uninteresting. The story is set in motion when Tsukuruâs new girlfriend sends him to find out what happened to his old friends, a High Fidelity-esque endeavour that takes our self-absorbed protagonist on a quest to learn âthe whole storyâ behind important events in his life. But this mystery unfolds eerily, and the way that Murakami sets up the reveal, simply and without artifice, is beautiful. I wonât say any more.
If you come to Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki hoping for a tight mystery narrative, youâll be disappointed. It has elements of mystery and fairy tale but donât expect the pieces to fit. They will rattle around in your head, which is unsettling. Itâs not an easy book to digest, but itâs also hard to forget. Iâm not sure if it was a fun read, but it is a great book.
