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)

i love it

i thought i cannot finish the book cos i have little time to read. im so glad that i found audible and listen 1q84. at first im not feeling right about the female narrator. but slowly i can accept it and listen till end. i just love it. thank you

Unusual and fascinating storyline

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I started listening to Murakami after reading a NYTimes review of his book What I Talk about when I talk about running. I liked his stream of consciousness autobiographical style and went on to listen to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Anyone who liked the Wind-Up Bird will enjoy 1Q84.

What other book might you compare 1Q84 to and why?

Murakami has a style all his own. This has similarity to Wind-Up Bird as the narrative jumps between the main characters telling various unique stories yet ties together one story .

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

The different narrators tie the various stories to those who tell the stories in a way that wouldn't occur in reading. Since the narrators have different styles and voices, what might be a little confusing is clear in narration. The female narrator has a peculiarly Japanese female voice. In my limited experience with Japanese women, they have an unusual delicate vocal quality that the female narrator captures and allowed me to picture the Aomame character.

Any additional comments?

Murakami is clearly expressing his social commentary on the current lifestyle of many young adults.

Good but LONG.

I liked the story and the three performers were very good but it dragged for me at times. Having said that, however, I was committed to listening and am glad I did. A co-worker asked me what the book was about and I really couldn't explain it because there are several unusual story lines going at the same time.

Twists and Turns

Where does 1Q84 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Possibly the most captivating book I've listened to yet -- I actually look forward to my daily commute to get back into the story! The narration is excellent, and Murakami is as good as ever. It is certainly a close second to the Wind Up Bird Chronicle.

What did you like best about this story?

Switching back and forth between characters has proved to be a fantastic way to keep the book moving forward, without slowing the pace and losing the reader's interest. Every chapter seems to leave you on the hook, keeping the suspense and intrigue intense from one book to the next.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Ushikawa, hands down - best narration I've ever heard for an audiobook.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way - this is a process.

A beautifully sloe and mysterious novel

One of the most fantastic books I've ever came across. Weird, majestic, beautiful!! 1q84 is a must read

Pretty good story

I enjoyed the first part but found the second to feel like it was too long. This was mainly due to long descriptive passages that did not imho add to the narrative. Also found that the ending was ... expedited, when compared to some of these many other long descriptive passages. But altogether a pleasant distraction. I would just not recommend it as a must-read.

Strong out the gate long in the stretch.

A fun novel to be sure, but the casual insanity of all the characters and what’s felt like a rushed and lackluster ending that gives the impression that the author had written themselves into a corner and either had their deadline due or just got sick of the story.

Limitless & Fluid

Stephen King once wrote that "the glory of a good tale is that it is limitless and fluid," and that's certainly true of 1Q84. There is no way to guess where Murakami will take the reader next, but rest assured that it will always be somewhere thoroughly interesting.

Hats off to the translators who string together English phrases in an arresting way as, I imagine, Murakami does in Japanese. An example that struck me: "It was the kind of smile he might have found in the back of a normally unopened drawer."

I enjoyed the character development, especially in the beginning when we are really learning the personalities. Aomame wondering how different her life would be if she had a different name (and one that didn't mean "green peas"), and Tengo pondering the fact that he is a simple listener in a small group, but a forceful presence when speaking before a large group.

Like others, I disliked the labored translation of the Dowager, but felt the narration worked well everywhere else.

Mesmerizing

The slow pace of the book definitely takes some getting accustomed to, but once I did I didn't want to stop listening to it. The writing is superb, the characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling...until the end. I won't spoil anything but the ending was a bit flat and is really the only reason I didn't give this book five stars. Still it's a great book that's well narrated, and well worth your credit and your time.

First 40+ hour book I've managed to get through!!!

Would you listen to 1Q84 again? Why?

The story & narration were quite engaging.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narration suited the characters, careful and precise. I know that others found the narration too slow, but in my mind it added to the story.