'Killing Commendatore' by Haruki Murakami follows an unnamed narrator, a portrait painter, as he navigates through a series of strange supernatural events after his wife announces she wants a divorce. Renting a house in the mountains that once belonged to a famous old painter, he discovers a hidden painting in the attic called 'Killing Commendatore', setting off a chain of philosophical discussions and existential musings among the characters. The book weaves together elements of art, reality, and surrealism, creating a narrative that is both bright and cheerful yet leaves readers puzzled and intrigued.
The novel delves into themes of dislocation, metaphysics, and existentialism as the protagonist grapples with the breakdown of his marriage, encounters unfriendly spirits, and uncovers mysterious elements like a pit and a bell in the forest. Murakami's writing style, characterized by vivid descriptions, intertwines the impossible with the real, exploring interpersonal relationships, self-discovery, and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy in a narrative that is both poetic and thought-provoking.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book has multiple content warnings including sexual themes involving minors, misogynistic portrayals, themes of existential dread, and references to violence and war.
Has Romance?
There are romantic elements in the book, with some noteworthy relationships and sexual encounters, though they are presented in a complex and sometimes problematic manner.
From The Publisher:
A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art, Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers.
When a thirty-something portrait painter is abandoned by his wife, he secludes himself in the mountain home of a world famous artist. One day, the young painter hears a noise from the attic, and upon investigation, he discovers a previously unseen painting. By unearthing this hidden work of art, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances; and to close it, he must undertake a perilous journey into a netherworld that only Haruki Murakami could conjure.
Ratings (29)
Incredible (3) | |
Loved It (12) | |
Liked It (9) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (2) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (57):
Read It (27) | |
Want To Read (26) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (2) |
2 comment(s)
I honestly could not continue after pages and pages of the narrator and a young girl both being obsessed with her breasts. Perhaps this wasn't the best choice as my first Murakami novel, or perhaps I'm really just not a fan of the narrator and his portrayal of women and girls.
For the first time, a book that I never wanted to end, a story that is a pure genius.
What can you read after
Killing Commendatore?
About the Author:
HARUKI MURAKAMI was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. His work has been translated into more than fifty languages, and the most recent of his many international honors is the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in…
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