Killing Commendatore

A novel

By: Haruki Murakami

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

The epic new novel from the internationally acclaimed and best-selling author of 1Q84

In Killing Commendatore, a thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a previously unseen painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious thirteen-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist’s home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors. A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art—as well as a loving homage to The Great Gatsby—Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers.

Captivating story!!!

I loved it! I bought the Audible version and was hooked by the narrator's way of telling Killing Commendatore. This is the first time I've ever listened to a Japanese story, too. I don't want to give away much of the story other than. that it was a pleasant surprise of twists and turns! Problem. is that I don't think I remember hearing the name of the main character...must be a style or the point of the story to keep the artist anonymous.

It’s a fantasy journey full of surprises

I’ve been a Murakami fan since I was in high school. Yet the Chinese translation is not quite satisfying as the translator always put too much his own personal opinion and style in the book. So I always chose to read the English translation which I believe is more according to the author’s style. The narrator is great. Very vividly portrait the character’s’ personality and style. And he brought out the mysterious feel, the nostalgia, the poetic scenery and fantasy from the story. This is the first full story I’ve finished on Audible. Listening to the book has been my daily routine and my treasured quality time. Can’t wait to listen to my next book Murakami’s 1Q84.

Painting and Fantasy Bleed In and Out

My first Murakami book has me wishing I remembered more from my college classes on Japanese culture and art. The landscape and characters, for all their passion and drama, feel bloodless. The detail with which the absolute mundane is explored in this work is new to me. As a painter and art historian, I found the discussion of Japanese art lacking. I think the author is better at exploring music than painting. I keep struggling to find a quote that encapsulates the painter's experience, because everything feels mired in webs of minutia and everyday detail. The Japanese concept of Ma, or negative space, from which all arises, is rich. Murakami makes 600 pages out of it, but I can't tell if I've gained anything from reading them.

Wataru Menshiki, Tomahiko Amada, Masahiko Amada, and the narrator are fully depicted, if stiff in their humanity. Many rich topics are explored, but all the characters feel removed, as if they are in a dream state waiting to awake. The women are even more removed. Komi, Mariye and her mother, Shoku her aunt, and the narrator's wife Yuzu are catalysts that force the male characters into action by temporarily wresting control. Exploring a cave, having sex with men of their choosing, deciding to marry or not marry, taking a lover or not-- the women take much more decisive action than the men. The novel feels like an indictment of modern Japanese feminine. For all their decision, the women appear to return to square one with some regret of their impulsive actions. The fate of Mariye's mother, in particular, feels like a cruel karmic twist in payment for her taking what she truly wanted.

The cruelty and brutal nature of Japan's long history seems like a trite anecdote to a present full of entitled humans with no compass. The novel ending's reference to the disaster at Fukushima further alienates 21st century existence. Present Japan sits atop a deep mantle, waiting for the past to erupt like magma or a nuclear meltdown obliterating the paper, wood and ephemera of a pointless existence-- except for love.

Audible version

This audible book flew by and I never was bored. I would highly recommend it.

Murakami words and thoughts... But...

This is no 1Q84. I've never been more torn between a love and a hate for a book like this before. The prose and lyrical descriptions are wonderfully Murakami. My problem lies in the numerous "convenient plot point" areas that come up. Also, I feel the ending falls apart as we delve into the world of metaphor