Fifteen years ago, I read South of the Border, West of the Sun for the first time and absolutely loved it. I recently felt the urge to revisit it, curious to see how my perspective had changed over the years. Reading it again, I still found it to be a beautiful and deeply moving novel, though this time, I was more aware of its flaws and wasn’t as overwhelmingly captivated as I was back then.

„Growing up in the suburbs in post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father’s record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch. Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting, he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present.“

Blurb

Murakami’s writing remains as poetic and atmospheric as ever—quiet, unagitated, yet capable of evoking a wide range of emotions. There’s a certain melancholy to the story that resonated with me once again, and I saw parts of myself in Hajime’s thoughts and feelings. At the same time, there were moments I had loved years ago that now felt strange or even somewhat outdated. One thing that stood out more this time was Murakami’s frequent and sometimes superficial descriptions of female characters. While I understand that he, like all of us, is a product of his time, these moments felt excessive at times and reminded me of how much both I and society have changed in the past 15 to 20 years.

Despite these minor issues, it was still an amazing experience to spend time with Hajime, Shimamoto, Yukiko, and the others once more. The novel reaffirmed my appreciation for Murakami’s ability to craft intimate, dreamlike stories that linger long after the last page. It also rekindled my own aspiration to become a great writer someday.

I’d highly recommend South of the Border, West of the Sun to anyone who enjoys introspective, beautifully written stories about love, longing, and the passage of time. For me, it remains a remarkable novel, even if my perspective on it has evolved.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️