BIRTHDAY GIRL BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

TITLE- BIRTHDAY GIRL
AUTHOR- HARUKI MURAKAMI
NUMBER OF PAGES- 42
PUBLISHERS- PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
GENRE- FICTION
FORMAT- PAPERBACK

About the book-

" She waited on tables as usual that day, her twentieth birthday. She always worked Fridays, but if things had gone according to plan on that particular Friday, she would have taken the night off."

One rainy Tokyo night, a waitress's uneventful birthday takes a strange and fateful turn when she's asked to deliver dinner to the restaurant's reclusive owner. Birthday girl is a beguiling, exquisitely satisfying taste of master storytelling, published to celebrate Murakami's 70th birthday.

My rating- ★★★★☆

My review-

This book is a short novella which talks about the twentieth birthday of a waitress- a supposedly special day which turned ordinary, in the first place, due to circumstances and later took a turn to make it a memorable one.

Things changed on that day, when she was asked to deliver food to the restaurant's owner whom she had never seen before, following which she had a detailed interaction with this old restaurant owner- who asked her to make just one wish for her twentieth birthday which he would grant her. Years later as she remembers this, there lies a certain uncertainty about this wish and its fulfillment.

In this book, Murakami in his typical style talks about this certain evening which resulted in a grave impact on a 20 year old girl. With detailed descriptions of the setting and the conversation between the old man and the girl he reflects on human behavior particularly- whereby people find it hard to make a wish when they are permitted just one. The giddiness one feels when they stumble upon an unknown, forbidden territory, the confused state of mind during youth, the maturity that follows when people grow older and the change in perspectives when they reflect upon the past is beautifully depicted in this book.

A very short, sweet novella which leaves the readers feeling unsettled, at the same time giving a sense of belonging, for almost every person has experienced the same dilemma which the girl faced at that point of time. By the end a whole lot of questions remain unanswered but who knows perhaps the questions have been answered, its just a matter of time when the readers realize that they have got their unique answers.

Characters-

The girl- she is this naive young girl, who was working even on her birthday, her 20th birthday to be specific. She represents all the young, naive people who are full of ambitions, curious about the forbidden- and later mature to realize what exactly happened, at what point in time their lives altered. They finally realize their choices and their repercussions.

The old man- the old man is the owner of the restaurant where the girl works. A well dressed, ancient man, details about whom are not given clearly. He was the one who not only made her 20th birthday special but also granted her a single wish- what was that wish remains a mystery till the end. He perhaps represents that point in time where humans can make only a single choice out of the many- the consequences of which they carry on till the end.

These two form the main characters in the story, other include the staff of the restaurant and the author who hears this story from the same girl, years later.

Writing style-

In his typical style of magical realism, the author has talked about the insignificant days which later on prove to become significant.With overt descriptions of food, surroundings and the such he has emphasized on the human emotions and their flow in time. With unnamed characters and its open- endedness, this book again proves to be a piece which leaves the readers wanting for more.

A strangely comforting yet unsettling piece, this book leaves the readers dwelling on their own lives and finding similarities. Would definitely recommend this book.

Purchase link- 

https://www.amazon.in/Birthday-Girl-Haruki-Murakami/dp/1787301257/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?crid=2VYIPVLSA95LF&keywords=birthday+girl+murakami&qid=1552833147&s=gateway&sprefix=birthday+girl%2Caps%2C371&sr=8-2-fkmrnull

About the author-

Haruki murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949,where his parents both taught Japanese literature. Growing up in post-war Japan, Murakami was drawn to Western influences. The notion of writing a novel first came to Murakami at the age of 29, while watching a baseball game in Tokyo Jingu stadium. He has written many novels as well as short stories and nonfiction including the books Norwegian wood, the wind up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, 1q84 and others.