Rashmi bookmarks “1Q84”

I have just finished reading Haruki Murakami’s magnum opus (translated by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel) and it has been such an incredible, indelible experience. One Q Eighty-Four or “ichi-kew-hachi-yon” is a play on the Japanese pronunciation of the year 1984 (in reference to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four), the letter Q and the Japanese number 9 being homophones.

Set in 1984 Tokyo, the story has been divided into three sections - April to June, July to September and October to December - and follows the arcs of Aomame, a fitness club instructor, Tengo Kawana, a novelist, and Ushikawa, a private investigator.

It is not easy to categorize the genre or encapsulate the story of 1Q84, a surrealistic story that deals with several different themes: in the events of Takashima and Sakigake, this is the story of a mysterious cult with a dark secret; in the missions of the “Dowager” Shizue Ogata and Aomame, this is a story of retribution; in the relationship between Aomame and Tengo Kawana, this is the love story that transcended a universe; in the tale of the Town of Cats - later paralleled to Tengo’s father’s nursing home - this is a story of the great meaningless trap that life is; in the flashback on Ushikawa - the ugly little creature who repels everyone he meets - this is a great philosophical commentary; in the incessant knocking on the door by the so-called NHK collector with his creepy “I know you’re in there”, this is a horror story; in the actions of Tamaru there lies a story that blurs right and wrong; in following the investigations of Ushikawa, this is a murder mystery. Of course, central to this novel is the short story “Kuki Sanagi” (Air Chrysalis) submitted to a literary contest by the 17-year old “Fuka-Eri” (Eriko Fukada). In its narration of a story about a world where the Little People exist, this is a great fantasy.

This is not a book that can be read casually. It is so rich with incident and meaning, it demands full attention - and full attention to the smallest detail. Every word and every act is there for a reason. A seemingly small detail will come back carrying a whole world of meaning on its back. From the crow on the balcony to the ominous end of “irretrievably lost” to Janacek’s Sinfonietta, everything will tie in and enhance the experience.

A little like Murakami’s “Sekai no owari to hado-boirudo wandarando” (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World) - another fantastic book - we see two parallel worlds, 1984 and 1Q84, with small details of one being reflected in the other; with small incidents in one seeping through to the other - and that was the other extraordinary feature of this novel. From door-to-door NHK collections to door-to-door Jehovah’s Witness distributions, from the 10-year old Tsubasa to the 10-year old Eriko Fukada, from Komatsu’s reality to Aomame’s dream, from the town of cats to the town of Chikura, from maza to dohta, from Air Chrysalis to the real world … and in one grand saga, from 1984 to 1Q84 - this was the fantastic telling of a fantastic story!

In some world, at some time, a taxi driver had told Aomame, “There’s always only one reality.” … Which one will you choose?!