Hard-Boiled Wonderland - Book Club
Details
November's book, which we'll talk about on December 5th, is Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami. Originally published in Japanese in 1985, it was translated into English in 1991 by Alfred Birnbaum. The audio version, read by Kirby Heyborne, was released in 2018. There is also a new English translation by Jay Rubin just published in December 2024, though I don't see a new recording of it. The availability data below combines both translations.
Interestingly, the title's inclusion of "The End of the World" stems from an epigraph at the end of the book where the lyrics to the 1962 Skeeter Davis song, "The End of the World" are printed. The lyrics were written by Slyvia Lee, who set the tone for the breakup song by drawing on the mourning of her father. It's odd that this is apparently completely omitted from the English versions, especially considering that lost love is one of Murakami's common themes.*
Let's see where this "hilariously funny" book about the nature and uses of the mind takes us. It's described as "mind-bending" and "hyperkinetic" while seriously exploring the nature of consciousness. It also includes an interesting array of characters. As someone who very much enjoyed The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, but hated Kafka on the Shore, the descriptions feels much more like the former and I'm excited.
Where to find the book (as of 10/2/2025):
(If there are other local sources I should add, let me know)
Hard Copies (paper and hardback):
Delaware County Libraries - 3 of 4 copies available
Free Library of Philadelphia - 4 of 6 copies available
Montgomery County Libraries - 2 of 6 copies available
eBooks:
DCL - 0 of 0 copies
FLP - 0 of 2 copies (1 hold)
MCL - 0 of 0 copies
Audiobooks:
DCL - 0 of 0 copies
FLP - 0 of 2 copies (0 holds)**
MCL - 0 of 0 copies
Summary:
Across two parallel narratives, Murakami draws readers into a mind-bending universe in which Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, a split-brained data processor, a deranged scientist, his shockingly undemure granddaughter, and various thugs, librarians, and subterranean monsters collide to dazzling effect. What emerges is a hyperkinetic novel that is at once hilariously funny and a deeply serious meditation on the nature and uses of the mind.
Published June 1985
400 pages, 14h 23m
*Wikipedia
**Online catalog says they're on Overdrive, but did not seem to be on Libby. Check the website for best luck.