Euphoria and the not-so-discreet sensation of ecstasy instantly engulf a reader when one comes into the possession of a Murakami book. Attempting to describe the immaculate talent he has for creating a world that fits effortlessly into ours would be close to unmanageable. Murakami has the rare ability to beautifully sum up a complex situation in the most simplistic fashion. Just the title of his 13th, and latest, novel, Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, instantly intrigues and grasps the attention of its reader.
The book is a coming of age novel, guiding us through the psychological journey Tsukuru Tazaki is faced with in order to regain a peaceful and potentially happy state of mind. The story is told from a third person narrative, a perspective I do not particularly prefer but Murakami has artistically used this advantage to make the nonexistent life of Tsukuru Tazaki that much more realistic.
The novel starts off in Nagoya, Japan, a small town outside Tokyo. We are introduced to a group of five friends. Each member of the group possesses a colour in their surname, except Tsukuru, leaving him to be the “colourless” member of their methodical community. This simple and trifling fact sets off a chain of events leading the world Tsukuru was so familiar with to spiral off into nothingness. The friends had once managed to achieve a state of perfect harmony within their group. They are a pentagonal symbol of perfection and their group expresses equilibrium impossible to achieve otherwise, or so they thought.
Tsukuru moves to Tokyo to attend university. The remaining four members of the group all apply in Nagoya to maintain the consistency of their group. Tsukuru visits as often as possible and they all extraordinarily manage to preserve the faultless nature of their group. However, Tsukuru is faced with his greatest insecurity. His friends mercilessly cut him out of the group and, ultimately, their lives. He spends days attempting to convince himself that what he is feeling is just paranoia but one unrelenting day his perpetual phone calls are finally answered. He is simply told that he is no longer wanted and he knows why. The line goes dead, and so does Tsukuru’s world. The next 16 years of his life, Tsukuru is faced with ostracism and the inability to make friends. The emotional scars that accompanied his termination from the group plague him into adulthood. At the age of 36, Tsukuru finds himself motivated enough to finally understand why he was banished by his best friends so many years ago.
The book is surprisingly realistic for Murakami, a man known for his magical realism. However, throughout Tsukuru’s journey, he is unendingly fated with bizarre dreams that promptly spice up a rather mundane environment. Also, various characters briefly encountered in the story offer peculiar and mystical tales that continue to contribute to the evolving hint of supernatural entities. Throughout the novel, Tsukuru perceives himself to be colourless, “an empty vessel”. Appearance-wise he deems himself average and the same applies to his intellect. He feels as though he has no passions or hobbies that are worthwhile and contributes nothing positive or effective in the relationships he cultivates with people.
Low self-esteem and underconfidence make him susceptible to being hurt. Murakami has subliminally put great importance on energy and vibes. For instance, the dreams Tsukuru has every so often are interconnected with the reason behind why his friends abruptly cut him off. The negativity he surrounds himself with makes it difficult for him to attract goodness and positivity. He realises, however, that unless or until he overcomes his emotional baggage, he will never truly be able to heal, something we all must face at some point in our lives.
The story ends on a rather desolate note. Consistently, throughout the novel, the reader retains the elusive notion of gloom and melancholy. It is an almost tragic story but with a powerful concept that forces the reader to really re-evaluate many situations they have come out of and understand the importance behind each and every one of those achievements. Every so often we forget to appreciate ourselves and fully grasp the hurdles we are faced with. We forget to understand that pushing ourselves past difficult times in our lives is what makes us sane. It is what makes us who we are. We falter psychologically from time to time, our coping mechanisms fail, but the amazing part about us is that we self-recover and we acquire whatever may be needed to push ourselves out of the situation.
From time to time it is important to give ourselves a pat on the back and appreciate not only our ability to overcome problems but the problems themselves as they are what make us strong and invulnerable to the harsh forces of the world. Murakami created a beautifully painful tale, one that is likely to hit something personal. I recall being emotionally overwhelmed by the end of the novel and perhaps even on the brink of tears. He has orchestrated an enigmatic tale of love, lies and friendship, a tale likely to impact the reader heavily.
The reviewer is a high school student with an insatiable appetite for books