An ambitious laziness

I finished 1Q84!

Early on, in the first pages of this book, perhaps even when I started to think about reading the book, I remember reading a brief bio about how the author was a marathon runner. He had even written a book on the subject. The bio also mentioned his belief in a daily regiment of writing, exercise, and reading. This fact struck me as I began to work my way through the large tome that is 1Q84. It is a lot like running--the repetitive rhythms broken up burst of action, followed by long, slow stretches where all you can do is put one foot in front of the other, praying for the finish line coming into view.

Another thread that floats through 1Q84 is that of music. I recall, perhaps it was just a dream, the author menitioning in an interview that the book's inspiration was a piece of music. An orchestra piece by the polish composer janacek call the sinfetta. I listened to the piece and wonder if perhaps the novel was writing music through plot and language. A sort of narrative representation of what music as a story/slice of life. This paradigm explains the repetition and the cycles of words, plots and places that thread through the novel like a melody or harmony. Phrases acting like chords and dialogue as chapters acting as movements. Both metaphors elude to the surreal which is entwined with stunning normality(as an aside, I'm not sure how one can write about the surreal without a boring reality to contain it).

despite this thinking sparked by the book, I don't think I can recommend it. There's a sense of laziness in the book. The unnecessary passages of Dickens without the clever wit of Dickens. Long chapters that build nothing and are not entertaining enough to warrant their inclusion. This was beyond killing one's darlings but a question of editing. The word "like" was used everywhere to give a forced metaphor or simile. The characters felt unloved and inconsistent in composition.

I am hesitant to get into specifics, as any reveal of the plot will take away interest in the book, but I will say that it's resolution left much to be desired.

to be honest, I have a sense that my biggest walk away is that I know the truth of the book. I will not be tricked in dinner conversation when someone talks excitedly about the book. I will know they have only read the reviews and have not wrestled with the book. Even a poor book challenges the mind, it was unfortunate that this particular one had to be so long.

One final thought. Having finished the book, I found myself sitting and thinking about re-writing the book, to make it tighter and stronger. Invoke the character Tengo work in the novel to re-write the story of Fuki-erai. As though the novel's central question is "how can a story be told better?". I don't believe this was the author's intent.