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Description edit
This wildly propulsive novel by the acclaimed author of A Wild Sheep Chase focuses on a man searching for a former lover who vanished mysteriously from a seedy hotel. But each new clue to Kiki's whereabouts leads him deeper into a labyrinth of physical violence and metaphysical dread. "A... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The novel follows the surreal misadventures of an unnamed protagonist who makes a living as a commercial writer. The protagonist is compelled to return to the Dolphin Hotel, a seedy establishment where he once spent the night with a woman he loved, despite the fact he never even knew her real... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Boku (I): The unnamed narrator who has previously appeared in 'Hear the Wind Sing', 'Pinball 1973' and 'A Wild Sheep Chase.' In the original Japanese Murakami uses the word 'Boku' for I rather than the more formal 'Watashi'. Boku considers himself the epitome of mediocrity but most of the other characters consider him a little strange. Unambitious and laid back, he works as a freelance writer but considers this to be a profession akin to "shoveling snow'; someone has to do it. When not shoveling or getting entangled in other people's complicated lives he likes cooking, reading, listening to jazz and oldies and drinking lots of beer.
- Yumiyoshi: A receptionist in her 20s who works at the new Dolphin Hotel (L'Hotel Dauphin) . Attractive but nervous and prone to irritation at Boku's jokes, she is the main romantic interest for our narrator.
- Gotanda: A talented movie star who acts in terrible pictures and lives the life of a puppet. He is deep in debt, but lives a life of luxury on expenses. Gotanda is a former classmate of the narrator who recalls that he could perform the simplest tasks with grace and flair, even lighting a Bunsen burner in chemistry class.
- Yuki (Snow): A sullen but highly perceptive thirteen year old girl whom the narrator takes under his wing in lieu of her semi-absent parents.
- Kiki: The former girlfriend of the narrator who has previously appeared in 'A Wild Sheep Chase'. The narrative of 'Dance Dance Dance' is set into motion by the frequent dreams the narrator has of Kiki crying for him and his subsequent search for her. She has supernaturally beautiful ears.
- The Sheep Man: A mysterious man/creature who wears a sheep skin, talks fast, and offers clues to the narrator about how to live his life. He previously appeared in 'A Wild Sheep Chase'.
- Hiraku Makimura: Yuki's father and Amé's husband. He is a washed up novelist. His name is an anagram of Haruki Murakami. Yuki describes him as having his head on backwards.
- Ame (Rain): Yuki's mother; a famous photographer who is so obsessed with her art that she often has no idea if she has eaten on a given day and leaves half smoked smoldering cigarettes lying around. She frequently leaves the county at a moment's notice, forgetting entirely that she has a teenage daughter to care for.
- Dick North: Ame's lover; a one-armed poet, who spends much of his time cleaning up after the scatterbrained artist.
- Mei: A friend of Kiki's whom the narrator meets through Gotanda.
- Michael Jackson: Add a description of this character.
- Bookish: One of the policemen who interrogate the narrator after they find Mei.
Quotes edit
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“Precipitate as weather, she appeared from somewhere, then evaporated, leaving only memory.”
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“Mediocrity is like a spot on your shirt, it never comes off.”
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“We knew exactly what we wanted in each other. And even so, it ended. One day it stopped, as if the film simply slipped off the reel”
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“What we seek is some kind of compensation for what we put up with.”
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“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting”
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“I was reduced to pure concept. My flesh had dissolved; my form had dissipated. I floated in space. Liberated of my corporeal being, but without dispensation to go anywhere else.I was adrift in the void. Somewhere across the fine line separating nightmare from reality”
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“So what can I do now?" she spoke up a minute later. "Nothing," I said. "Just think about what comes before words. You owe that to the dead. As time goes on, you'll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn't, doesn't. Time solves most things. And what time can't solve, you have to solve yourself. Is that too much to ask?" "A little," she said, trying to smile. "Well, of course it is," I said, trying to smile too. "I doubt that this makes sense to most people. But I think I'm right. People die all the time. Life is a lot more fragile than we think. So you should treat others in a way that leaves no regrets. Fairly, and if posible, sincerely. It's too easy not to make the effort, then weep and wring your hands after the person dies. Personally, I don't buy it." Yuki leaned against the car door. "But that's real hard, isn't it?" she said. "Real hard," I said. "But it's worth trying for”
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“Yougottadance. Aslongasthemusicplays. Yougotta dance. Don'teventhinkwhy. Starttothink, yourfeetstop. Yourfeetstop, wegetstuck. Wegetstuck, you'restuck. Sodon'tpayanymind, nomatterhowdumb. Yougottakeepthestep. Yougottalimberup. Yougottaloosenwhatyoubolteddown. Yougottauseallyougot. Weknowyou'retired, tiredandscared. Happenstoeveryone, okay? Justdon'tletyourfeetstop”
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“I often dream about the Dolphin Hotel."”
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“I planted my elbows on the table and drank my coffee, watching Yuki watch them. She was truly a beautiful girl. I could feel a small polished stone sinking through the darkest waters of my heart. All those deep convoluted channels and passageways, and yet she managed to toss her pebble right down to the bottom of it all.”
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“It was spring break, so the theater was always packed with high schools students. It was an animal house. I wanted to burn the place down."”
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“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”
Highlighted by 29 Kindle customers -
People die all the time. Life is a lot more fragile than we think. So you should treat others in a way that leaves no regrets. Fairly, and if possible, sincerely.
Highlighted by 25 Kindle customers -
That’s when I proffered my words of wisdom, that waste is the highest virtue one can achieve in advanced capitalist society. The fact that Japan bought Phantom jets from America and wasted vast quantities of fuel on scrambles put an extra spin in the global economy, and that extra spin lifted capitalism to yet greater heights. If you put an end to all the waste, mass panic would ensue and the global economy would go haywire. Waste is the fuel of contradiction, and contradiction activates the economy, and an active economy creates more waste.
Highlighted by 23 Kindle customers -
What lasts, lasts; what doesn’t, doesn’t. Time solves most things. And what time can’t solve, you have to solve yourself.
Highlighted by 21 Kindle customers -
In other words, what we seek is some kind of compensation for what we put up with.
Highlighted by 21 Kindle customers -
“All you have to do is wait,” I explained. “Sit tight and wait for the right moment. Not try to change anything by force, just watch the drift of things. Make an effort to cast a fair eye on everything. If you do that, you just naturally know what to do. But everyone’s always too busy. They’re too talented, their schedules are too full. They’re too interested in themselves to think about what’s fair.”
Highlighted by 20 Kindle customers -
Mediocrity’s like a spot on a shirt—it never comes off.”
Highlighted by 19 Kindle customers -
Advanced capitalism has transcended itself. Not to overstate things, financial dealings have practically become a religious activity. The new mysticism. People worship capital, adore its aura, genuflect before Porsches and Tokyo land values. Worshiping everything their shiny Porsches symbolize. It’s the only stuff of myth that’s left in the world.
Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers -
“No, not like humans. With machines, the feeling is, well, more finite. It doesn’t go any further. With humans, it’s different. The feeling is always changing. Like if you love somebody, the love is always shifting or wavering. It’s always questioning or inflating or disappearing or denying or hurting. And the thing is, you can’t do anything about it, you can’t control it. With my Subaru, it’s not so complicated.”
Highlighted by 17 Kindle customers -
To me, love is a pure idea forged in flesh, awkwardly maybe, but it had to connect to somewhere, despite twists and turns of underground cable. An all-too-imperfect thing. Sometimes the lines get crossed. Or you get a wrong number. But that’s nobody’s fault. It’ll always be like that, so long as we exist in this physical form. As a matter of principle.
Highlighted by 16 Kindle customers
First Sentence edit
I often dream about the Dolphin Hotel.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Haruki Murakami (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Alfred Birnbaum (Translator)
First Edition edit
Original Language: Japanese
Publisher: Kodansha
Country: Japan
Publication Date: 1988
ISBN: 4062041227
Page Count: 346
Publisher: Kodansha
Country: Japan
Publication Date: 1988
ISBN: 4062041227
Page Count: 346
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 895.6'85
Subjects edit
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