Information of the Book
A short stories book by Haruki Murakami published in 2000. The quake seems to be the Great Hanshin earthquake, appears on or relates all stories. And, the quake is a thing make people’s minds change, and person’s mental hurt and trauma emerged from it.
UFO in Kushiro
A handsome audio salesman, Komura divorced his wife by not particular reason, after a quake. His colleague Sasaki requested him to carry a box like ones for human ashes to his younger sister.
When Komura arrived at an airport, two young women, Sasaki's sister and Shimao, called Komura and led a café, and Komura handed over a box.
The three arrived a love hotel of which an acquaintance of the sister and Shimao run. The sister of Sasaki went home by things to do. Komura and Shimao talked about Shimao’s funny experience of a bear, then, they made love… (…)
Landscape with Flatiron
In a town of Ibaragi, at a midnight a few minutes before AM 0:00, a shop assistant of a convenient store, Junko was called by a painter from Kansai, Miyake. So Junko and a surfer and an amateur guitarist, Keisuke went to bonfires.
At a beach Miyake had gathered driftwoods and carefully constructed a bonfire like a avant-garde sculpture. And he bunched up sheets of newspapers, slipped them through the gap and lit the fire by a cigarette lighter.
Junko and Keisuke asked Miyake about the quark in Kobe had occurred a month before. Miyake said his family a wife and two sons, was in Higashinada-ku, Kobe. But he stopped talking about that.
And Miyake and Junko talked about bonfire about and the death of Jack London. Then Miyake said he had painted a tableau named “Landscape with Flatiron”… (…)
All God's Children Can Dance
Yoshiya Osaki, a man 25 years old couldn't left home and rent his own room because his mother's eccentric behaviour of her religious belief. His “guide” Tabata and his father is a being in the other side. His mother made love with a doctor with condoms. But she was pregnant three times and the time three is the sacred number, then she gave birth to Yoshiya. So the mother said Yoshiya born by the will of the God.
A day, Yoshiya found a man seems to be his father at the Kasumigasaki station. Yoshiya pursued him, and he got off a station near Chiba prefecture, and the man got on a taxi, so Yoshiya again pursued him by a taxi.
He got off and entered a baseball ground, but he was vanished. Yoshiya climbed up pitcher's mound, and he started dance spontaneously it continued for hours while he remember his girlfriend of his collage years and danced with her at discos, and Mr Tabata’s personality and what he said… (…)
Thailand
A thyroid specialized doctor Satsuki went to Thailand by a air plane, to participate a conference of thyroid.
After the conference she stayed Thailand as a rest for a week. By the guidance by a guide and driver Nimit, She stayed an expensive resort in the mountains.
The last day of Thailand, she visited a poor village was invited by Nimit, and she was told her fortune by an old woman almost 80. And she said there’s a stone inside Satsuki’s body and Satsuki was going to have a dream about a large snake… (…)
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
When Katagiri, a salesman of a credit bank backed home, he found 2m hight big frog in his apartment. The Frog requested him to stop a quake and save Tokyo, they have to beat Worn together. The frog needs the help of Katagiri’s courage and justice. In return for Katagiri’s agreement, the Frog solved a case of Katagiri.
Their plan Katagili would go to the basement boiler room of Katagili's office at the night a day before the earthquake was scheduled to happen, then they went to beat the Worm. But, in the evening of the day, Katagiri was shot by a man…
Katagiri became conscious and wake up in a bed of a hospital… (…)
Honey Pie
A novelist Jyunpei and his wife Sayoko talked about their daughter Sara shouldn't watch news about the earthquake on TV.
Jyunpei is from Nishinomiya, Hyogo, entered a in the literature department of Waseda University. And he told a lie to his parents that he entered the department of commercial science. Jyunpei, Sayoko and their friend Takatsuki are classmates of the department. Sayoko went with Takatsuki, but the three became a strange triangle relationship. Jyunpei became a short story novelist, Sayoko went to the graduate school, and Takatsuki became a newsperson of the famous newspaper. After a half year to the graduate, Sayoko and Takatsuki married. And Sayoko had birth to a girl. The girl was named Sara by Jyunpei.
When Sara was two years old, Sayoko and Takatsuki divorced. Sara belongs Sayoko and the four met somentimes as a strange relationship like family. Then Jyunpei and Sayoko married. The earthquake occurred when Jyunpei visited Madrid for write a reportage. And Jyunpei’s home town is Nishinomiya, Hyogo, his family lived there… (…)
Product Details
After The Quake
Haruki Murakami (Author), Jay Rubin (Translator)
Penguin Random House, London, UK, 6 March 2003
144 pages, £8.99
ISBN 978-0-099-44856-3
Contents:
UFO in Kushiro
Landscape with Flatiron
All God's Children Can Dance
Thailand
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
Honey Pie
Related Posts and Pages
Synopsis | First Person Singular
Book Review | First Person Singular