Sunday 8th January

Yes, and I am reading 1Q84 his latest book, which is published in three parts; I am reading Book 1 and 2 at the moment – I will review it when I have finished.  But from the first few lines, it is just like coming home again after a long walk in the cold, his writing is just so enchanting, you really never know what is just around the corner, or  where on earth the story will take you, but at the same time it is so familiar, like an old coat you put on again, and the fit and weight are just perfect, so you wrap it round you and are happy to venture wherever the whim takes you.

How on earth does he do it?  He seems to be writing absolutely effortlessly, as if the trail of his thoughts is just wending its way onto the page with no real interface between what pops into his consciousness and the words unraveling before one.  And yet you know there is far more to it than that, it is all written for and with a purpose; what appear as random reflections are all being seamlessly woven into a complicated but perfectly logical pattern, that, like the way ahead on a foggy morning, slowly become apparent.  And he seems to get to the very nub of things, the important heart of what it is to be human.

I also love all the references to Japanese culture and history and the place names, and the descriptions of the food eaten, which though all strange at first, begin to seem normal after a few pages.  And the most amazing thing, though of course it shouldn’t be unusual at all, is that while he is talking about Japanese people with their strange names, their thoughts and hopes and desires are exactly the same as ours.

I am reminded of all the wonderful books of his I have read over the years, ever since my eye was caught by the title ‘Norwegian Wood’ in a bookshop years ago.  I instantly recognized it as an old Beatles song – isn’t it good, Norwegian Wood.  I picked it up and was hooked into a long love affair with this Japanese writer. And yes it was good, as all his books have been.  It also reminds me how far I am away from this sort of effortless and beautiful writing, which despite its air of nonchalance is I expect the result of many many rewrites.  I wonder if I will ever have the patience to write so meticulously myself.