MEN WITHOUT WOMEN

I can just begin by saying that the title is the book, but that would be stupidly incomplete. Just by the title, one would have all the whys, hows, wheres and whens unanswered. Murakami's books have titles that you know mean business. But you never know how the book may turn out, unless you pick it up and dig deep.

A book review of MEN WITHOUT WOMEN by every_thing_bookish

Murakami introduces us to various men throughout the seven short stories, who are without women. Whether they've lost them, or haven't found them yet, or are somewhere in the middle, I'll let you find that out.

The stories talk of yearning, introspection, strange reactions to situations, and struggle, which is sometimes unsettling, but the reader gets the hang of it quite soon. Yes, never does any story talk of desperation. The men in the stories are accomplished, successful and somewhat happy too, but without women.

What didn't work well

The endings were good, but not always does one lie in despair. Men can have more reasons to live. There are so many aspects to a man's life which remain unsettled, that doesn't mean they'd just give up, does it? Sometimes I thought of giving the character a jolt of motivation, like, in the form of a lightning, so they don't know I want them to buck up. Just a reader's wish, I guess.

What I really enjoyed

For me, this book was like a binge watch, with the ominous satisfaction that I'll be delighted at the end of each one of the seven stories. I sobbed in some, revoltingly agreed to some points and always waited to see how each story ended. This is where the not so good part of the book comes in.

“Like dry ground welcoming the rain, he let the solitude, silence, and loneliness soak in.”

Its a masterpiece of stories. Don't miss it okay? I'm counting on you, fellow reader.

Here's a link to buy this book: https://amzn.to/327aLs4

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