Shape of a Strange Bird -- by Haruki Murakami

Author: Lin Shaohua Translated
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: This is the author's longest novel trilogy. The wife of unemployed Kanda Ken, Kumiko, disappears under the coercion of her older brother, Shigehiko Mayagami, a member of the Diet and a representative of dark forces. Many strange people appear around Kanda: a witch, a "consciousness prostitute," a girl who accidentally caused her boyfriend's car accident death, an old soldier, and others. Many strange events also occur. After Kanda meditates in a deep well, he emerges and challenges Shigehiko with the help of the strange mother-and-child duo "Nutmeg" and "Cinnamon." He injures Shigehiko in a fantasy and then kills him in reality. The book is filled with eerie colors, grand scale, and an interweaving of reality and fantasy, earning it the title of "One Thousand and One Nights" of the modern era. The book was published by Yilin in 1997 and has already gained significant influence among readers.