1Q84 book one review

1Q84 is a book written by Haruki Murakami. What I write now is my personal view of the first book in the trilogy and it contains spoilers. 

~Let me just start by saying that the first of the three books is 442 pages long. Some books end in that many pages or less. This book, however, took this many pages to progress painfully slow... If I had bought just book one, I would not have bought the next book because the cliffhanger at the ending was... not a cliffhanger... Probably why the book is sold as a trilogy in one book...

~Character wise, the characters are pretty well developed (well, yeah. The author had 442 pages to develop them. I`m still not sure what the plot is though.) I`m also slightly confused as to why there were so many sexual scenes. I mean, why?? Couldn`t he and his girlfriend(which i`m pretty sure is still unnamed unless I missed reading her name somewhere.) be just be having tea for once? Meh. I`m still a kid, I wouldn`t get it.

 ~For now, I gather that the plot for Aomame`s part of the story is that she has to... erm... I`m not sure yet. As far as I know now, the dog Bun exploded. This reminded me of a conversation I had with Nix back when I was attending school. We talked about spontaneous human combustion. Yeah, people randomly going up in flames. 

~So as far as I gather, Aomame is this pro killer (kills people with an ice pick, LIKE A BOSS!) who`s also an exercise trainer. Her name means green peas. She kills evil men. She`s the one who somehow got into the new world with two moons. Then she named the new world 1Q84. I think she transferred worlds when she was climbing down the emergency stairway and reminiscing an event with an old friend(Tamaki) who she had an sexual encounter with. (See?? Chapter 3 and i`m having sexual stuff shoved in my face!) 

~In this new world, things have changed. There`s also this new religion/occult thing called Sakigake. Near the ending of the first book, we meet a new character introduced by the dowager (the old lady she works for by killing men who abuse their wives) called Tsubasa. (It means `wings` in English.) Tsubasa talks about the Little People. Before this, however, most of Aomame`s story was about her needing to get laid... And making a police officer partner(Ayumi) to help her in her conquest...

~Tengo is an interesting character. He teaches maths in a cram school three times a week and is working on becoming a published novelist. His story begins with him talking to a man named Komatsu. He wants a story called Air Chrysalis to be added into the finals. Komatsu says nah, lets let you rewrite it and make it awesome. Then we can make it more famous! And so Tengo agrees. (FYI, this is illegal during that period.)

~So Tengo meets up with Fuka-Eri, the original author of Air Chrysalis. (Rae spoiled this one for me by telling me she`s an alien! At least her spoiler peaked my interest in the book.) Fuka-Eri reminds me of a Mary Sue... Anyway, the main plot in Tengo`s part of the story was him rewriting the book and it becoming best seller. Also, his relationship with Fuka-Eri.Fuka-Eri speaks of the Little People, too. I wonder what they are...

~There`s a part in the book where it is mentioned that Tengo dislikes responsibility, which is why he wants an older girlfriend. (So she can take the lead, apparently.) He also dislikes being the leader of groups. And he`s super talented in many aspects of life. Yeah. I enjoy his conversations with his older girlfriend.

~My favourite character so far would be Tengo`s girlfriend. Probably because of the last chapter. I find her as a very cool, relaxed lady. Sure, she`s cheating on her husband, but there`s this sort of aura that radiates from her speech when I read about her. It`s like she`s contended with her life. (The part where she doesn`t want to change the past.) Yet she knows lots, like how she`s able to differentiate `lunatic` and `insane`. 

~This part of the book is my favourite! Cause now when I look at the moon, I can ask people if they know the difference between a lunatic and insane person! FYI, `Insane` is a person with probable mental problems. `Lunatic` is to have your sanity temporarily seized by the moon, (Luna, hence lunatic.) as said so in the book.

~I`m also bugged by the fact that the first book took place during April up to June, but there was not even one mention of the Sakura Season! Whenever I think of Japan, the first image that pops up in my mind is those pink flowered trees. I do recall reading how it rained very much there though... It rains everywhere in the world, not new news...

 ~I guess it`s not fair since i`m comparing this book to most adventure books I have read, which have very many events occur in very few chapters. In 1Q84 it`s like you`re following the life of Aomame and Tengo in whatever they do. When they eat, when they sleep, practically everything! The story takes time to progress, but I do enjoy the conversations the characters have. They often leave me pondering about their conversations, which is a thing I fancy about this book.

~My gosh! I feel like an idiot for reviewing the book this way, when it seems the rest of my friends (which are two, to be exact. I`m a lonely person.) liked the book(s) lots. Not to say I dislike the first book. No. I like it. (I read it, didn`t I?) It`s just that I usually read fast paced books. This book is a change for me, absorbing and entwining me slowly with the two antagonists. It brings up many thoughts and issues to contemplate on.

~Overall, I suggest that if you plan on reading this book, buy the trilogy, not book one alone.

~"Don`t let appearances fool you. There`s always only one reality." -Haruki Murakami, 1Q84.