Why read on Fable?
Publisher Description
Dance Dance Dance—a follow-up to A Wild Sheep Chase—is a tense, poignant, and often hilarious ride through Murakami’s Japan, a place where everything that is not up for sale is up for grabs.
As Murakami’s nameless protagonist searches for a mysteriously vanished girlfriend, he is plunged into a wind tunnel of sexual violence and metaphysical dread. In this propulsive novel, featuring a shabby but oracular Sheep Man, one of the most idiosyncratically brilliant writers at work today fuses together science fiction, the hardboiled thriller, and white-hot satire.
As Murakami’s nameless protagonist searches for a mysteriously vanished girlfriend, he is plunged into a wind tunnel of sexual violence and metaphysical dread. In this propulsive novel, featuring a shabby but oracular Sheep Man, one of the most idiosyncratically brilliant writers at work today fuses together science fiction, the hardboiled thriller, and white-hot satire.
46 Reviews
3.5
essayist
Created 7 months agoShare
Report
Multi-layered charactersEasy to readSuspensefulHauntingStereotypical characters
Sol Smith
Created about 1 year agoShare
Report
“I have to say that, coming off of Wild Sheep Chase, this book is a bit of a disappointment. Our nameless narrator tries to find his girlfriend who went missing in Sheep Chase, and ends up becoming part of a strange family, more or less. There are lots of great characters, some wonderful ideas, and, yes, The Sheep Man, but somehow it doesn’t add up to being one of his best.
I wouldn’t say that this was any kind of cash-in, or it at least doesn’t feel that way. This is often called “The Rat Part 4,” but The Rat isn’t here and is hardly mentioned. Nor are any of his other old friends.
The tone is pensive, occasionally depressing. Lots of death, often treated rather mindlessly. There’s a nearly random nature to some plot elements that kind of need pinning together by the narrator’s thoughts.
I’m airing my complaints here, but my complaints are mainly due to high expectations. At its best, this book has something in common with Kafka’s “The Trial,” which the narrator is reading at the time (and which was my most recent book review). I would say that this book is to “The Trial” what “Norwegian Wood” is to Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain.” But that might not mean a whole lot to people other than me (because I make schizophrenic connections, not because I’m so cool). This book doesn’t soar with beauty like some of his others, but it’s still better than most other books out there.”
Professor X
Created 4 months agoShare
Report
“I read somewhere that Murakami once said something along the lines of “ His books tend to reach those who are searching for meaning” this book is just that a young man who goes on a wild adventure that takes him into strange places and experiences as he searches for an old love. Great read like all his books, highly recommend to read them if you are currently going through a heartbreak or have been through one.”
RachelMcShane
Created over 1 year agoShare
Report
“This book had some real Twin Peaks/David Lynch vibes—weird, ominous, very mysterious, a little spooky. There was even a one armed poet (just like Twin Peaks). I liked it, but I feel like it’s one of those things where you have to accept that you won’t understand everything, and you either love it or you hate it. I also found out almost halfway through that this book is actually a part of a series, but I felt invested and interested in it already so I just kept trucking. If I had read the other books in the series, I might have understood some stuff a little better, but I felt like I got the overall gist.”
Jamila Brown
Created over 2 years agoShare
Report
“There’s a murder, an actor, several call girls, a gay boy Friday and a sheep man. This is my first Murakami and it’s left quite an impression. I actually do like the bizarre elements but I find the narrator to be a bit dull. I’m more invested in finding out what happens than in him. But maybe that’s the point. For it to feel like a weird fever dream. It leaves an impression come morning but in the end is kind of meaningless.”
About Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is a best-selling Japanese writer. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the Jerusalem Prize, among others. Murakami's fiction is humorous and surreal, focusing on themes of alienation and loneliness. He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature. The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his works and achievements. Murakami is the author of 1Q84, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Men Without Women and many more.
Alfred Birnbaum is an American translator who has translated works by Haruki Murakami, Miyabe Miyuki, and Natsuki Ikezawa. He has also edited the short story anthology Monkey Brain Sushi: New Tastes in Japanese Fiction. Birnbaum is a professor of creative writing and translation at Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies.
Alfred Birnbaum is an American translator who has translated works by Haruki Murakami, Miyabe Miyuki, and Natsuki Ikezawa. He has also edited the short story anthology Monkey Brain Sushi: New Tastes in Japanese Fiction. Birnbaum is a professor of creative writing and translation at Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies.
Other books by Haruki Murakami
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
Similar Books
Save to a list
0
/30
0
/100
Private List
