Elliot- Strange Library Miscellaneous Thoughts

 I was taken aback by how quickly The Strange Library moves towards the surreal compared to Murakami's other stories. Of course, it's reasonable to expect it to be paced faster than his novels given its length, but even his short stories tend to have a bit more background, allowing the reader to get acclimated to the real before shifting to the unreal. Revisiting the beginning, the real is implied by the fact that Boku comes to return some books before heading to room 107, but by that point he's already inside the library. However, I think the themes that the story deals with are universal enough that we can identify with them without requiring close knowledge of Boku.

Murakami's works often remind me of dreams, and The Strange Library does perhaps the most (along with Kafka on the Shore.) As Boku descends into the library, as in other Murakami novels, he's descending into his own subconscious. At some points he ceases to be himself, becoming the Ottoman tax collector. Identity is blurred between himself, the girl, and the Sheep Man, and some of the details, like the doughnuts, are mentioned with the abruptness with which they'd appear in a dream.

Above all, the presentation of the book fascinated me. Not only is the folding cover design intriguing, but having art physically associated with the story and not just alluded to is a first. I was also struck by how disparate the styles were, especially emphasized in the double pages with the moon and the doughnut and the dog and the starling. I feel as if the moon represents the girl and the doughnut, naturally, the Sheep Man. The girl appearing in place of the Sheep Man when she first shows up also illuminates a connection between them. Perhaps they're two sides of the same coin, or perhaps they're both part of Boku.

Other notes I'd like to make are that several key aspects of the story are teased in the first few pages: Boku's shoes are mentioned, and he remarks that knocking on the door of room 107 feels like knocking on the gates of hell with a baseball bat. I also noticed one bit where the Sheep Man and Boku use the exact same phrasing: "That would be terrific." I wonder what this is like in the Japanese.