The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami

Wow..!! One hell of a novella. What will you expect from Murakami ? Like his 1Q84 , a strange story. The opening line "The library was even more hushed than usual" sets the tone for a roller-coaster ride.

The tricky thing about mazes is that you don't know if you've chosen the right path until the very end. If it turns out you were wrong, it's usually too late to go back and start again. That's the problem with mazes.

A unnamed boy wants to return the library books and wants to borrow some more books about tax collection in the Ottoman Empire. The librarian asks the boy to go down to room 107. The room is very strange. The old librarian in the room asks the boy to memorise the books he borrowed and left, he was served by sheepman and a girl.  The boy was alarmed when the sheep told that the old man will eat the fact-filled brain of his once he memorise the books. The boy had no option except to read and he did that . Though the book was written in Turkish he was able to understand it , to his surprise. The boy start memorising but he keeps on thinking about his mother and pet bird.

The world follows its own course. Each possesses his own thoughts, each treads his own path.

The author takes you to an alternative universe. What is real and what is not- the author beautifully makes the reader believe in his writings , the language is simple. The translator did a great job.All the characters accepts whatever comes in their ways unlike in 1Q84,where everyone questions everything. Chup Kidd's design and illustrations complement beautifully with lively prose of Murakami. Special credit should be given to Chup Kidd, sometimes you end up looking at the illustrations without reading the text for long time.

Good read !!