The Other Murakami

Or, Some Recommended Reading

I would imagine that most people are familiar with Haruki Murakami and his work; and rightly so — he’s great. But I imagine that people may not be as ubiquitously acquainted with another author who shares the same surname.¹

Who am I referring to here? I’m referring to Ryu Murakami. Not Haruki Murakami but Ryu Murakami.² The books that Ryu has written compared to the books that Haruki has written — lets just say that they are more of an acquired taste.

Of Ryu Murakami’s body of work, there are three books of his that stand out to me in particular — an unofficial trilogy of sorts that share many of the same themes: violence, sex, obsession, etc.³ These books, in order of publication, go as follows:

• Piercing (1994)

• Audition (1997)⁴

• In the Miso Soup (1997)

I would highly recommend that you checkout these three books, Hypothetical Reader, if you are so inclined to read about things that will stay with you (for better or for worse)⁵. If you were to read just one of the books listed above though, I would recommend going for In the Miso Soup. It’s my favourite of the three and one which has a particular sequence that ranks, in my opinion, with some of the best literature in regards to the viscerally grotesque.⁶

If you end up checking out any of Ryu Murakami’s work because of this post, I sincerely hope that you get as much from them as I do, Hypothetical Reader.⁷

1. Hence the title of this post.

2. YOU GOT THAT?

3. All of the good stuff.

4. If this title sounds familiar, that may be because it was later adapted into a film which subsequently garnered cult status.

5. More than likely for worse.

6. Only the most esteemed of literary works will you find recommend here.

7. Apologies in advance if you subsequently need therapy.