Greatly effected by a book I've been reading...

I usually don't do book reviews on this blog nor talk about books on this blog. However, while I reading this book on my way home from work on the bus I found it impossible to put down. Murakami is one of the top authors which I love dearly and his writing is so simple and realistic, there is no going in circles. His characters' dialogue is direct when it has to be and hidden with riddles when it had to be. He manages to capture human aloneness so well. 

The book is clearly up there with Norwegian Wood and his best works. It deserves to be read widely by all ages. I adore how his books all have a metaphysical theme, the strong theme of friendship, love, bond, life, and tons of reflection. The horror I felt from it was how much people change in sixteen years. How regrets and words left unsaid back then haunt us for a lifetime. The flow of time theme is so strong and relatable that made me even feel undeniably old as I recalled my own twenty-five years of life and all I went through. 

Another fascinating thing about this book is the beautiful cover under the cover jacket and the inside flaps which is a complete map of Tokyo's rail  system. It makes me want to travel to Japan as soon as possible and ride on every single of those lines and sit at those stations and just watch as commuters board and get off. That would be really peaceful to experience...

Quotes that I really enjoyed in the book: 

"Everything has boundaries. The same holds true with thought. You shouldn't fear boundaries, but you also should not be afraid of destroying them. That's What is most important if you want to be free: respect for and exasperation with boundaries. What's really important in life is always the things that are secondary." (77)

I love this quote. This inspires me to not be afraid of pushing my limits as a writer and in life. Boundaries are made by us, by mankind and is made to be able to be destroyed. Nothing is forever and boundaries will only limit our flow of thought, limit our chances, limit our knowledge. 

"You can hide memories, but you can't erase the history that produced them." (204)

Memories are precious, they may be warm, happy, sad, frightening and we often try to forget the memories that wounded us the most. However, no matter how we try to conceal the memories, we will never be able to wipe the history that made them. The history that made them shaped who've we becoming as a person, made us mature, made us stronger, and made us wiser. We can forget the memory and conceal it but we are what stepped out of that history that made those memories. 

"Talent is like a container. You can work as hard as you want, but the size will never change. It'll only hold so much water and no more." (206)

I suppose this quote goes to say that many are naturally born with a certain amount of talent. It can only hold so much for each person until it hits the brim and is locked it and if you force anymore it will only be lost. Quite a negative thought but true in some ways. 

"That amazing time in our lives is gone, and will never return. All the beautiful possibilties  we had then have been swallowed up in the flow of time." (341)

This is a quote that I really relate too. Because I once experienced some amazing times and it came fast and left fast, that simplistic state of mind, that rush of joy, those uncomplicated years. First love, first car ride, first trip. Unheard words, feelings that were never confessed out loud, all those possibilities have been dissolved with time. This is a very haunting theme.

"The right words always seemed to come too late." (341) 

I have this problem again and again. When people tell me something deep or tragic, I tend to be a wooden doll unable to say anything comforting and meaningful back. It takes time. My right words always come too late.

"Never let fear and stupid pride make you lose someone who's precious to you." (342)

Yes, this is very true. Never let fears and pride make you lose someone important to you. I had a huge fear of relationships for several years after bad experiences and I feel that if you meet the right person. Those fears and pride should be forgotten and placed down or you would lose the right person forever. 

"We each have our paths to follow, in our places. There's no going back." (342)

I find this very sad. Even the closest friends may split paths because we have different goals, different occupations, different schedules that don't allow us to gather together once we are adults as often as we wish. There is really no going back to those school days. 

"Not everything was lost in the flow of time." (388)

This is a more positive thought to think not everything was lost. There is always the possibility that we would be able to reconnect, to state what was unsaid and confess feelings that were left unconfessed. But it's only too late but it's good to know. 

"We truly believed in something back then, and we knew we were the kind of people capable of believing in something with all our hearts. And that kind of hope will never simple vanish." (388)

This is very inspiring and a great way to remember our golden days in school. Again with that simplicity and having simplistic hope.