Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

This novel is constructed around two parallel stories that are presented in alternating chapters. Odd-numbered chapters, which are read by Adam Sims and take place in "Hard-Boiled Wonderland," tell the realistic story of a human data processor in Tokyo whose world has turned upside down. Even-numbered chapters, narrated by Ian Porter, tell the story of a newcomer to "The End of the World," an odd town whose residents live behind a wall and surrender their shadows. Sims and Porter are well matched for the alternating chapters. Each is introspective as his character explores the meaning of the mind. While the two stories are distinct, the similarity in the pace and tone of both narrators keeps things smooth as the stories converge. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

July 26, 2010
Murakami's two stories—which alternate, chapter by chapter—are told by two narrators, who split duties here. Ian Porter is the baritone, thoughtful and deliberative; Adam Sims is lighter spirited, flightier, and more amused by the bizarre comedy of Murakami's puzzle box. Both readers are well chosen, expertly picking their way across the minefield of this intoxicating, perplexing story. And their balancing act mimics the book's alternation of tones, styles, and stories. The recording is studded by occasional studio sound effects that are hardly necessary, but do manage to cleverly amplify the woozy, trippy disorientation of the tale. A Vintage paperback.

July 1, 2010
Murakami's demanding 1991 novel, newly available on audio, features two parallel narratives reflecting on such issues as death, paranoia, information, freedom, and choice. In the first, read by Adam Sims ("After the Quake", an unnamed protagonist becomes involved with an unusually helpful reference librarian, an eccentric scientist, two dangerous thugs, and even more deadly creatures living beneath Tokyo. In the second narrative, read by actor Ian Porter, a separate protagonist finds himself in a walled town and reading the dreams of others with the aid of another librarian. The narratives are told in alternating chapters and gradually intersect. Sims masterfully conveys his hero's bewilderment at the odd circumstances of his life, while Porter is more somber in his performance, employing a different kind of tentativeness to convey his character's uneasy adjustment to a strange new world. This unique blend of noir, sf, and fable owes a considerable debt to Jorge Luis Borges. Fans of Murakami and offbeat literary fiction will find much to like here, as will, naturally, librarians.—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.

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