Pinball, 1973

I felt the need to read Haruki Murakami’s Pinball, 1973 since I’ve read pretty much everything else he ahs published in English. It gives some of the back-story for The Wild Sheep Chase, which I haven’t read in years, but remember enjoying the series of books with Rat as a main character. I also remember several references to this novel in Jay Rubin’s study of Murakami’s work in Haruki Murakami And The Music Of Words. I can see why Murakami wasn’t so pleased with this early work. Murakami hasn’t had this or his first novel, Hear The Wind Sing, reprinted in English. I think many authors feel that they usually don’t find their way until the second or third novel. However, I think they can be fulfilling for hardcore fans. It seemed like a slight story to me, where very little takes place.