Haruki Murakami’s latest novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage out now, follows a high school student on his journey both through life and to find his old friends.

Tsukuru is colorless in a few ways, he does not stand out very much and is not very outgoing. And in high school, he had a group of friends whose last names all were associated with a certain color while he was the only one without it.

This exclusion continues into college when all his friends suddenly stop talking to him. Tsukuru never asks why, and that is the reason behind his pilgrimage many years later. He finally wants to know why they are not talking to him.

Murakami, as usual, has created his own world with elaborate descriptions that can be quite beautiful. He also has added a few stories within the story that add depth to the world and create a more universal meaning for the work.

Murakami’s previous works include the intimidating 1Q84 and Norwegian Wood. Many of them have won literary awards such as the World Fantasy Award and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.

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