Men Without Women

The 7 stories told across Murakami’s Men Without Women, tell the tales of men, who each in their own way, have found themselves alone. And although there is definitely something to take from each story on it’s own, I have to admit this wasn’t my favorite. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy this read, but I’m not sure that Murakami’s quirky style is my cup of tea.

The first story, I was into, I was interested and connected. But as I got further into the book the more disconnected I became from the literature. For example, one of the later shorts, ‘Samsa in Love,’ is written in reference to German writer, Franz Kafka’s 1915 novel , Metamorphosis. With no familiarity with this book whatsoever, I felt like I was missing out on something to really understand the plot and purpose of this particular short story. Obviously, I did some digging to get the gist, but it still left me feeling lost.

However, the overarching themes, of love, loneliness, and heartache were not missed on me. I did truly appreciate his keen, cool observations of the great mysteries of love. But don’t take my word for it read it for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below.