strange library

 Strange Library was a really fun read. I especially liked how he writes from a child's point of view and how it’s different from his normal protagonists. Despite the circumstances he finds himself in, this Boku can’t help but remark on his distaste for the strawberry toothpaste in his cell and how fried doughnuts are one of his favorite things (This may be the most well-fed character in a Murakami story). It’s not unlike Boku to ignore the gravity or absurdity of his situation, but in this case, he questions the circumstances but is shut down by the old man. It’s also one of the most compassionate protagonists. Typically, they seem very caught up in their own world and sadness, but this Boku is a definite people pleaser. The old man guilts him to the reading room, Boku gets in the cell so the sheep man doesn’t get whipped, and he escapes due to worrying about how his mother will react if he doesn’t come home. 

I feel like the story has a clear message about becoming an adult. Boku, going to the library for some pleasure reading, is taken and forced to read so that his brain and knowledge can be consumed by someone in the future. All the while he’s given a cell and three meals a day. I wonder if Murakami is making a statement on how our creativity and passion to learn for the sake of learning in our youth is corrupted by becoming an adult and entering the workforce. I have to learn x to do x. All the while someone profits off what you learn and you remain a prisoner til the end. It seems like Murakami wanted to write this from the perspective of the child growing up. Of course, adult life isn’t really like that, but that’s how it feels when people guilt you into doing things and you become a prisoner of your own choices. 

I’m curious what everyone thinks about the ending, why the mother didn’t react to his disappearance and the mysterious illness she succumbs to. It may just be Murakami making it more mysterious and weird so that everything doesn’t wrap up too nicely, but it definitely feels significant

-joe