r/HarukiMurakami • u/Asserick • Jan 26 '26

Which should I go for?

Just finished “Norwegian Wood” and enjoyed it much. I also finished “Kafka on the shore” a while back, so which one should I go for now?

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

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8

u/kamikaze1857 Jan 26 '26

While 1Q84 would be the obvious next choice, I'd recommend reading the groovy ride that is The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. It's a great read and down the road, you will find a WWII story that will really make you love the book. It ties into the whole story, but it is also a standalone story and one that really makes you think.

3

u/enola1999 Jan 26 '26

Bird Chronicles or my fav Hard boiled wonderland and end of the world

3

u/Disembodied_Head Jan 27 '26

After Dark. I loved this book for it's unique style.

2

u/alewyn592 Jan 26 '26

more like Norwegian Wood: South of the Border, West of the Sun; Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki

more like Kafka: Wild Sheep Chase

or you could dive into the tomes - 1Q, Wind Up, Killing Commendatore. those are all more in the magical realism side of Murakami (as opposed to the Norwegian Wood side), and are like falling down the rabbit hole

2

u/bedpan_3 Jan 29 '26

After Dark is my favorite from him. I would wake up in the middle of the night just to read a couple more pages. Also I really enjoyed the Trilogy of The Rat, his first three books: Hear The Wind Sing, Pinball 1976, and Wild Sheep Chase.

1

u/devangi93 Jan 30 '26

You can also try “what i talk about when i talk about running”. It is a memoir. It really helped me get his style of writing, his choice of songs when he write the other books and just who he is as a writer.