Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

4 reviews

ran_sophia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read the book a second time, and although I enjoyed it the first time, I enjoyed it a little more now. The main reason was that I wasn't confused at the beginning and knew the motives, the world of the book, and overall it made sense to me from the beginning. I found the writing and storytelling style to be very enjoyable. I also really liked the story and it was very nicely laid out.

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avocadotoastbee's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.5

"Unclose your mind. You are not a prisoner. You are a bird in flight, searching the skies for dreams."

Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is mind-bending!

The description of the plot might dull the reading experience, since the novel is mainly plot-driven.
But here's some background information:
We follow an unnamed narrator into two different worlds - the Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World. The storylines alternate in chapters.
In the Hard-Boiled Wonderland, the narrator is a 35-year-old man who works as a Calcutec, a human computer/encoder that processes sensitive data. In this world, two organizations, the System and the Factory, fight over the data. The system employs Calcutecs, while the factory, which wants to sell data illegally, employs Semiotecs.
The narrator receives a new assignment and the story takes its course.
Meanwhile, The End of the World takes place in a minimalist setting - a town (also unnamed) surrounded by a huge wall with beasts, or rather unicorns, running around. All the people there have neither minds nor shadows and work only for the sake of working. The narrator is new in the town and is assigned the job of "Dreamreader".

In the first half of the novel, it is unclear whether the two stories take place simultaneously or consecutively. However, there are certain themes that appear in both stories that somehow connect them: Unicorns, skulls and paper clips.
Chapter 26 explains in detail the connection between the two worlds.
This made me root for the narrator to escape his fate in both worlds. Therefore, I was disappointed with the ending.

Nonetheless, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World is a prime example of Murakami's magical realism. The novel explores ideas such as consciousness, unrequited love, the feeling of being trapped, and forgiveness. His signature writing style is evident. There are allusions to jazz, certain books and movies, and, of course, (unfortunately) misogyny.

If you like other novels by Haruki Murakami, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book as well.

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seawarrior's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

While I'm certain there are intellectual components to this novel that I missed, I really enjoyed reading it. The plot was weird, mysterious and varied enough to consistently hold my attention even though I never fully understood what was going on, which normally makes me feel agitated. The characters aren't the most compelling, but the worlds they inhabit are wholly original yet strangely nostalgic and lead the book along. Their experiences and thought processes within these worlds allow for musings on consciousness, fulfillment, and the weight of our minds, expanding into a odd story that relates to us all.

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mudkipmillie's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book is not for the casual reader, I would recommend reading this book as a part of a book club or group so that you can have someone to discuss it with because the psychological themes can be highly confusing.

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