1Q84

Haruki Murakami, a renowned Japanese author, wrote 1Q84 in bunko editions from 2009 to 2010. Set in Tokyo during the year 1984, the story follows two main protagonists, Aomame and Tengo, whose paths become intertwined as they navigate a peculiar and mysterious alternate reality.

A secret organization known as “Sakigake” draws Aomame into it. Aomame is a skilled assassin. Tengo rewrites a mysterious novel conspiratorially. Teenage girl Fuki-Eri titles the novel “Air Chrysalis”. If this sounds hard to follow, it is. The novel could have been a bit shorter.

Aomame and Tengo discover that they are living in a parallel world. They refer to this world as 1Q84 (a play on George Orwell’s “1984”). In this alternate reality, there are subtle but significant differences from the world they know. They encounter a religious cult that worships mystical figures called the “Little People.”

Aomame and Tengo’s stories mix together as they search for each other and attempt to make sense of events. They face challenges, confront their past traumas, and grapple with their own identities and desires.

It shares many themes found in other Murakami works with the addition of a cult. A good novel for people new to HM, but a bit of a “been here before” feeling if you’ve already read a lot of his work.