Review: The Strange Library by Haruki Marakami

From internationally acclaimed author Haruki Murakami—a fantastical illustrated short novel about a boy imprisoned in a nightmarish library. Opening the flaps on this unique little book, readers will find themselves immersed in the strange world of best-selling Haruki Murakami’s wild imagination.

The story of a lonely boy, a mysterious girl, and a tormented sheep man plotting their escape from a nightmarish library, the book is like nothing else Murakami has written. Designed by Chip Kidd and fully illustrated in full color throughout, this small format, 96-page volume is a treat for book lovers of all ages.

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami. Translated by Ted Goossen. Illustrated by Chip Kidd. Published by Borzoi Book, Alfred A. Knopf, China, 2014.

*Trigger Warning: Pet death

No clue what I just read, but it sure did look good! 😮

Seriously, though… zero idea of what just happened. The Strange Library definitely lives up to it’s title. This is an extremely strange story. Very surreal and dream-life. But in an anime way. It is bizarre, yet entertaining.

I will admit that the over all story left me feeling…. confused at, well, everything! Is this a dream? Is it real? Is this magic? Did the boy just make it all up because he couldn’t handle the crappy things going on in his life?? I have no idea… It is hard to rate this book higher than a 3…. it’s just so…. ambiguous. And I’m sadly just not a big fan of ambiguous stories. D:

I do love the unique format of the book. It is just as strange as the story. It is similar to the odd format of House of Leaves, maybe? So different and yet so beautiful. Loved the text, so clean and crisp! Even the cover is unique, opening up from top to bottom. All the “offness” with the format matched the plot perfectly. They complemented each other so well.

The illustrations are just beautiful. Strange and unique as well. It felt like a fresh take on retro 1960s advertisements from Asia filled with glorious colors. Chip Kidd is a truly creative graphic designer. His work really stands out. It’s so eye catching! Love it. 😀

This is… well, a strange book! I mean, the title did not lie. Well written and entertaining, but also super vague and confusing. Good, but I just didn’t get it, I guess? My brain just isn’t great with surreal plots and concepts. Very quick read. I would be curious to try another book by this author some day…