1Q84

By: Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin - translator, Philip Gabriel - translator

Narrated by: Allison Hiroto, Marc Vietor, Mark Boyett

Length: 46 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver's enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - "Q" is for "question mark". A world that bears a question.

Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame's and Tengo's narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell's, 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami's most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

BONUS AUDIO: Audible interviews the translators of 1Q84, Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel.

©2011 Haruki Murakami (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This imaginative, lengthy novel satisfies as a mystery, fantasy, and humorous coming-of-age tale—all blended with the vagaries of love and loss in a dystopia mired in strange cults and mathematical/musical dreamscapes. One surmises that it's no accident that the book's enigmatic title relates to George Orwell's 1984." (AudioFile)

“Profound . . . A multilayered narrative of loyalty and loss . . . A fully articulated vision of a not-quite-nightmare world . . . A big sprawling novel [that] achieves what is perhaps the primary function of literature: to reimagine, to reframe, the world . . . At the center of [1Q84’s] reality . . . is the question of love, of how we find it and how we hold it, and the small fragile connections that sustain us, even (or especially) despite the odds . . . This is a major development in Murakami’s writing . . . A vision, and an act of the imagination.” (David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times)

“1Q84 is one of those books that disappear in your hands, pulling you into its mysteries with such speed and skill that you don’t even notice as the hours tick by and the mountain of pages quietly shrinks . . . I finished 1Q84 one fall evening, and when I set it down, baffled and in awe, I couldn’t help looking out the window to see if just the usual moon hung there or if a second orb had somehow joined it. It turned out that this magical novel did not actually alter reality. Even so, its enigmatic glow makes the world seem a little strange long after you turn the last page. Grade: A.” (Rob Brunner, Entertainment Weekly)

A Terrific Introduction to Japanese Literature

Would you consider the audio edition of 1Q84 to be better than the print version?

I couldn't say because I haven't read the book. I examined a copy at the bookstore and was intrigued how the text itself demonstrated key parts of the story, such as the moon and the Air Chrysalis.

This audio book has very distinct and effective narrators for it's characters, which helps immerse the listener into the mindset of each character. It was put to good effect throughout the story.

This audiobook was unabridged, which is a quality I prefer.

What did you like best about this story?

It's careful balancing of the two story lines. Each character, Aomame and Tengo, is a distinct person with their own talents and challenges to overcome as they discover and explore the mystery at the heart of 1Q84, the year with the question mark. Yet their connection is at the heart of the mystery.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The different narrators brought tremendous depth and personality to their characters. Without the different voices, the reader's inner voices for the characters would not be as distinct.

If you could rename 1Q84, what would you call it?

As a native English speaker, I initially didn't understand the title. It is explained early in the novel that this name is made from Japanese wordplay, where 'kyu' is a word for 'nine'. There are explicit mentions of 1984 by George Orwell and discussions of dystopia and thought crime among other subjects.

Any additional comments?

I don't want to spoil the plot or the pacing, but I left the novel with several questions unanswered. I don't know if this is a result of content cut out during the translation, as mentioned by the translators during the epilogue, or a deliberate choice on the part of the author. Personally, I still enjoyed the story and finished the audio book, but I was slightly disappointed to not have some of my questions answered by the end.

Wonderful performance, dense story.

This story is long and requires patience, but in the end is worth the effort. It is helpful to bear in mind that when first published in Japan, it was originally three volumes. The novel takes place in an alternate timeline to 1984; one that only a few of the characters are aware of. Very strange things happen in this 1Q84 and you can find yourself uneasy with all the fantastical, unrelated, events. It is best to sit back, relax and just wait for the disparate parts to be woven together. At some points I actually gasped at the connections (3 gasps and one -Oh my God)! The prose is elegant and the story beautiful.

The story itself is told from alternating points of view, a man and a women in the first two books and a third character in the last volume. With some novels this can be choppy and distracting, but here Mr. Murakami manages to never lose his thread. All three actors read with a subtlety that allowed the story to shine through.

I do have one warning. The story is very sexual in parts. It's not in your face, all the time- it's just very frankly descriptive when it is discussed. If you are not comfortable with this type of material, then this is not your book.

A book for the detail-minded

Haruki Murakami's style is not lost in 1Q84, however, I think this is a book best read, not heard. The narrators portrayed their characters voices and emotions well, but I personally couldn't handle the slow reading pace and the over annunciation of words-- gave me chills at times (which, I suppose is also a quality of Murakami's writing). Can't deny the skill of the narrators. I just prefer shorter, quicker read audiobooks. If you're like me, then you'll opt to read this instead.

Great Build-Up for a Great Letdown!

I appreciated Murakami's ability to intertwine multiple storylines while exposing the reader to literary and musical culture and history. I became excited with the obscure mentions of the Little People and anticipated a very climatic end to a novel that obviously took a lot of time and effort to thoughtfully craft. I liked that fact that it kept me guessing, and I was just so sure I had things figured out until I would be thrown off-course again. I enjoyed all of this until I noticed I was on the last audiobook and the time was dwindling down, yet the story seemed like it had so much longer to go.

Like others have said: It's unnecessarily sexual. It's ridiculously verbose -- this book could have been 1/3 smaller had Murakami not regaled us with the step-by-step thoughts and actions of each character. (Another reviewer detailed it best describing the painstaking detail of Tengo cooking dinner.) It could have been another third shorter without a simile being mentioned for EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT OR OBJECT that the characters encounter. I thought it was clever writing at first, but then realized that it didn't stop and was more excessive than effective. My biggest gripe, along with everyone else, is with the loose ends! You can't help but feeling like nothing really happened in this novel when you're done and wondering if you've wasted your time. It was an interesting ride, but it was like being on a world-renown rollercoaster with a breathtaking drop and climbing the incline just to find out that there really is no decline, only another platform, when your restraints unlatch and you're told to exit to your left. (See, now he's got ME doing it...)

The female narrator bothered me at first, but I grew accustomed to her. She was poor, however, in distinguishing voices between the narrator and Aomame whenever Aomame entered into dialogue with another female. Tengo's narrator was fine, but I didn't care much for the second male narrator who voiced Ushikawa.

Had the ending actually brought the magnificent story together, this would be a definite re-listen to enjoy without the "mystery" or maybe to could catch something I missed the first time around. But in its present state, I feel like, "Why bother..."

Imaginative dreamlike and very Japanese.

I liked this book... I thought that the translation was superb.
I was somehow disappointed by the ending... I found it to be drab. However the journey the book takes you on is marvelous throughout.
The book was very well read.

Not Sure Why I Liked This

I love long books; otherwise I can't explain why I enjoyed this book.

The rhythm / pacing of the action, the dialogue and the descriptions is slow, steady and so regular as to be monotonous. There are no places where action speeds up, no moments where a character screams or laughs, no excitement at all. Every character is patient, careful and calm. Every character follows a routine. Yet, in spite of its intrinsic monotony, the book held my interest.

The story is weird; a character steps into a parallel world with very strange attributes. There are several mysteries which are never explained (I hate that!). But underneath it all, this is a love story.

There are 2 main characters; male and female. I think that I started to love the male character. Perhaps that is why I stuck with this book.

Too adolescent

Moody and escapist at times, though overall a trite fantasy piece. Like stage hypnotism.

Slow and uneventful

The narration was pretty good, but the story was awfull and such a waste of time. It just kept going and going with the character constantly thinking the same things and never advancing the story. I kept with the book just hoping that something would eventually happen but it never did! I couldn't even understand the love story. If this story was 10% as long it might be worth your time and it could've definitely told the same story!

Not for everyone, including me

Narrators: mostly fine. The guy who voiced Ushikawa was good in his regular narration, but his “Ushikawa’s internal thoughts” voice made me want to rip out my own throat, wash it, and put it back in.
Story: I don’t get it, plain and simple. I am a very good reader, and I easily suspend my disbelief. On top of that, I usually love Murakami. This book was a complete miss for me though. I can’t tell you what it was about or what its purpose is, and I’m mostly angry that I spent so much time reading it for a very lackluster payoff.

My first Murakami ... and I am impressed

I wasn't too sure about the decision to get this massive book. After all 47 hours is a big investment in time for a book ... and how can one write so many words on a single topic anyways? And a translated work to boot.
Well, 47 hours later, I am somewhat blown away. The author definitely figured out the art of pacing a story. The plot is not overly complex, and there isn't a lot that is going on in the story And yet, the pace is just right without any sections with 'dead air'. Yes, the writing is verbose, but the words are well used to make the story descriptive.
I also like the way the story is told, alternately from different perspectives. And the different perspectives timeline does not always line-up is a very clever way to keep the reader's attention.
As to the fantastical nature of the story... I liked it. It is weird in places, and the author really never explains what they are suppose to be. But I guess that where 'willing suspense of disbelieve' comes into play. And once I got over that, the story line just works.
Finally, the different narrators definitely added to the overall story. I must disagree with the reviewer who did not like Allison Hiroto's narration. I think her performance is great and helps me to visualize the heroine's character.