Is Murakami Writing the Same Book Over and Over Again?!

1Q84 was my first introduction to Murakami’s writing, more specifically to the strange world he seems to create in every novel he writes. And so, I often find myself making connections with this piece and others we have read in class. It has struck me that Murakami frequently repeats specific details and plot points in his novels. Most relevantly, A Wild Sheep Chase and 1Q84 seem to be in the same world, or at the very least they are certainly “parallel worlds” – a concept which Murakami, himself, draws inspiration from. 

This repetition feels deliberate on Murakami’s end; it’s as if he’s leaving readers with “easter eggs” of his previous works, almost the same way he does with Chandler and J.D. Salinger. Although I find it hard to believe that these are all call-backs and not just Murakami running out of ideas. The parallels between A Wild Sheep Chase and 1Q84, for example, are startling. For instance, in both stories, the protagonist meets a woman who has special powers, they then go to an unknown or far-off land with the woman, and from there they talk of things that transcend understanding (like the powers of the sheep in AWSC and of the little people in 1Q84). 

Realistically, 1Q84 reads as a longer, drawn-out version of the same book. And still, I have yet to see any comments about their similarities online. For two of Murakami’s most well-known novels, I find it hard to believe that I am the only one who is threatened by the “coincidences” (if you can even call them that at this point). For such a renowned author, how is it that he can rewrite the same fiction and continue to be acclaimed? At the beginning of 1Q84, Murakami writes, “Things are not what they seem… but don’t let appearances fool you. There is always only one reality,” and he’s right. The reality is that both 1Q84 and A Wild Sheep Chase are the same novel in different fonts. 

I am tired of Murakami rehashing his past thoughts for something new. Perhaps I have taken the wrong approach in undertaking Murakami’s writing. I would love to hear feedback or thoughts throughout the semester on this idea. I feel some of his other works are also very similar (for example, The Strange Library is very similar to a few of the short stories and novels we have read thus far). 

-Kyla Pascoe