South Of The Border, West Of The Sun

I just finished Haruki Murakami's novel 'South Of The Border, West Of The Sun' 

Hajime, a man in his late 30s and the owner of two successful jazz bars is happily married with two young daughters. Living an ideal life with no reasonable faults, Hajime is haunted with the obsession of his childhood companion Shimamoto who he lost touch with when he was twelve. After a decade of life Shimamoto reappears in one of his bars, riddled with beauty and mystery. Hajime allows his fixation with his past risk his present.

A book about the beauty hidden within self-destructiveness.

I am quite fond of this story- Murakami's books always leave me ambivalent, especially his more popular books 'Kafka on the shore' and 'Norwegian Wood' 

I think that's the reason why he's one of my favourite authors. His ideas are so identifiable yet bizarre and dreamlike. We like to think so highly of ourselves that we would never, not ever be in situations like this; but Murakami's ideas are most human. 

„For a long time, she held a special place in my heart. I kept this special place just for her, like a "Reserved" sign on a quiet corner table in a restaurant. Despite the fact that I was sure I'd never see her again.“

This book reminds me of some of the past relationships in my life, and the importance of leaving the rose-coloured tinted memories alone. 

I would recommend this book to everyone, particularly people who are interested into getting into Murakami books or just books with philosophical ideas. 

And to whomever it concerns, feel free to message me if you’d like to talk about this novel or if you have any recommendations.