Third Time Not Such a Charm

Title: South of the Border, West of the Sun
Author: Haruki Murakami
Publisher: Vintage International
Publication Year: 1998
Rating: B

This is the third novel I’ve read and reviewed by Haruki Murakami, and unfortunately, it is my least favorite. Although it is classic Murakami, mysterious and passionate, it didn’t hold the magic so inherent in his other works.

I went into the reading of South of the Border, West of the Sun expecting that it would have the same fantastic surrealism apparent in both Kafka on the Shore and Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. But it was simple in its plot, exploring the connections of people over time and the obsession that can so easily take over a person’s mind.

The characters were smart and beautiful, the dialogue reflecting this throughout. And the unsettling nature of the main character, Hajime, is realistic in its confusion. The story follows the frustrations of Hajime as he tries to find his place in a life that seems to have gone on without him. He is married and has two daughters. His father-in-law gave him the opportunity to open several successful bars. But he still finds something lacking in his life. The novel doesn’t quite end in resolution, but it is implied that Hajime, instead of looking outward for something to fill the hole in his life, will look around him, towards the people that love him.