1Q84

By: Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin - translator, Philip Gabriel - translator

Narrated by: Allison Hiroto, Marc Vietor, Mark Boyett

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver's enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realises, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - 'Q' is for 'question mark'. A world that bears a question.

Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame's and Tengo's narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell's, 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami's most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

BONUS AUDIO: Audible interviews the translators of 1Q84, Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel.

©2011 Haruki Murakami (P)2011 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"It is a work of maddening brilliance and gripping originality, deceptively casual in style...vibrating with wit, intellect and ambition." ( The Times)

"Eerie, suspenseful and packed full of gorgeous ordinary details and provocative extraordinary events...funny, fresh and intensely surreal. Unmissable." ( Marie Claire)

Good writing, ordinary content, too stretched out

I found the female narrator's intonation annoyingly incongruous with the rhythm of the story. She should do children stories only. I was going to return, but then found the male narrator good enough to make it acceptable

Blown away by this

OK this is not for Murakami virgins.
We have three voices. Same alternate world of two moons.Girl, Boy and a mystery.
I think the music is important, and I think Art is important. Intentional or not I see Jeffrey Smart in the freeway and steps and "Tiger in your Tank' signs.
A kind of shared dreamscape. A shared reality that does shift.While each voice connects, the shared experience of sitting on top of the slippery dip and looking at the two moon is an image I will not forget.
I put this, 1Q84 alongside James Joyce 's Ulysses, each explores the limitations of the spoken or written word and deliver human experience of this world.

complex, surreal and very very long

I am a huge Murakami fan. I think his style is very suited to the audiobook format, especially as music features as almost another character. In addition to listening to the audiobook I also ended up downloading several songs, and searching for albums that the characters were listening to.

This is a vast novel, and if you have not encountered Murakami before, perhaps try something like the windup bird or a shorter story to begin with. For me, IQ84 is a wonderful story, that turns in on itself and was the perfect companion on a long hour long compute back and forward to the office.

It is a story about murder, history, cult religion, violence, family ties but at its heart it is about love. It is wonderful.

Imagine if you were a character within a book...

Imagine how it would feel if you were a character within a narrative world - and knew it. To top it off the pesky author of the novel you live in keeps changing his mind. There are subtle differences in the way your world is articulated - mirroring the editing process.

There is a sense of melancholy in that some characters, such as the Leader, are unable to be something other than how they are figured in the narrative. He is restricted by this story world. His communiaction with the little people suggests his constructedness - he is aware of his fictionality - he knows he is merely a figment of an author's imagination, and is bound to do what the little people tell him to do.

I don't think I could get through this book by reading the print version. I've read a lot of Murakami's novels before, but this one is particularly long. In addition, there is a lot of layering to this novel, where there is the slightly nuanced repetition of story lines. It was nice listening to them- they are like the receding and returning tides of the ocean (yes, a weird simile, but you'll get what I mean if you listen long enough).

I highly recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy,science fiction, magic realism, narrative studies, Eng Lit majors, people who love Japan, Murakami, etc. etc.

Revisiting this novel was a real pleasure.

What made the experience of listening to 1Q84 the most enjoyable?

The magnitude of Murakami's work and his attention to detail made this a pleasurable experience. I first read the novel - Books 1 to 3 - when it was released as one volume in 2010. To revisit it now as an audio novel was like hearing an old friend's voice once more.

What did you like best about this story?

The complexity of the story, its story-within-a-story concept and the wonderful way the two protagonists were narrated by Alison and Marc, were the highlights for me rather than one specific point. The subtle references and repeated themes were cleverly woven into the story and you couldn't help but become filled with hope for Tengo and Aomame as they seek out one another.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators were magnificent and the use, towards of end, of both protagonists' 'voices' made their final union all the more special.

Any additional comments?

Long, complex, unforgettable and real value for money. This is an excellent audio book and I highly recommend '1Q84' to the Audible audience.

Long........

It seems to me like the book is a take on the modern version of 'Alice in the Wonderland' The story itself is rather absurd and one keeps waiting for it to develop. It takes so long to get there, that it becomes a little painfull at times.
The performance is excellent and for all the characters.
Somehow mesmerising in its simplicity and purity of form. Poetic and full of symbolism and allegories.
Unnecessarily long, but cannot say I did not enjoy listening to it.

Extends the Ceiling of the Imagination

Haruki Murakami stretches the imagination , suspends belief and engrosses in the parallel universe in "1Q84".

Wonderful weirdness

I enjoyed being enthralled in this quirky, suspenseful story of a bizarre journey between the year 1984 and 1Q84. All the characters are totally unique, and constantly in danger of meeting or in danger of not meeting. It left me wondering what if, and what about... So it was great value all round.

1Q84 - Romantic sci-fi saga by Murakami

phew. One has to say as great of an author as Murakami is this story is a little long winded and probably slightly over indulgent on the author's behalf. It's essentially a beatiful love story and worth reading of you have weeks to spare. it's not one of Murakami's best works but I'd be stunned if it wasn't the longest.

Anyone familiar with the author will recognise some of themes and characters that have been rehashed (somewhat aimlessly) here. Some of the story's subplots are a little tangient and never conclude (again somewhat typical of the author's spiritualistic stightly endulgent style. sometimes working in his favor).

Great translation I'm sure. A lot of skill and effort was out in by the team who made the audio production. Beautifully read. if it wasn't for this I would have given up after book one. Thank you.

Fascinating story, excellent narrators

What did you love best about 1Q84?

The magical world of Murakami pulls you in. I found myself looking up at the sky, searching for that second moon.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators gave life and depth to each of the characters in a way that made the story come to life.