The story follows alternating points of view of Aomame and Tengo, who initially appear to have no connection, but then meet and intertwine.
For work reasons, Tengo meets the young and strange Fukaeri, who escaped from the religious sect where she lived with her parents. Together they write a very strange book, populated by Little People, Air chrysalises and strange and threatening individuals.
Aomame and Tengo mysteriously enter 1Q84, a world that might seem normal, but where in reality there are two moons and strange forces that govern it. This world seems to have incredible similarities with the plot of Fukaeri's book. For Tengo and Aomame, finding each other will be essential for their survival and for the fulfillment of their destiny. But in order to do so they will have to overcome and face various absurd situations and reveal intricate mysteries.
As with other books by this author, it is difficult to categorize it: perhaps fantasy, perhaps dystopian, perhaps a mix of both genres. The common logical sense of reality is often missing; There are two moons in the sky, magical creatures like little people appear. But the protagonists are real characters, described in their personal stories, in the difficulties of their past, in the sensations and pains of their soul. A world that is fake and real at the same time, where the various supernatural elements intersect with the elements of the world as we know it as if they had always been part of it.
Aomame and Tengo are not heroes or heroic, but people without a social life, who intentionally keep themselves on the fringes. They are people with shortcomings, people who however do not seek personal redemption and who find themselves involved in the events narrated only by chance. Love is undoubtedly a pillar of this trilogy, the element that pulls the threads of the story and that will dictate its ending, the only tool that will allow Tengo and Aomame to save themselves from the chaos of the strange world that surrounds them.
At the end of this trilogy several questions remain unresolved, as often happens in Murakami's books. But you can't help but accept its madness because in the end, despite everything, you end up entangled and fascinated by it.
Murakami's? I've only read his short story collection, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, and I thought it was excellent. So, with your review of this novel, maybe I'll take the plunge and read it in the future.
Thanks for your review.