The best Haruki Murakami books

Murakami’s 13th novel follows Tsukuru Tazaki through his life and the weighty impact that growing up can have. As Tsukuru finds himself cast adrift from his friends, he desperately searches for answers on why.

And so, he embarks on a pilgrimage that helps him discover more about himself than he ever thought possible. To move on emotionally, he travels as far as Finland to find out why his friends left him behind and what it profoundly reveals about him as a person.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is a compilation of 24 short stories, one of which entitled ‘Firefly’ inspired another of our picks, Norwegian Wood. The stories include tales of a spooked night watchman, giant crows, a poor aunt, and a talking monkey.

It’s a great example of Murakami’s range and ability, telling captivating stories in far-reaching locations with completely different paths. While Murakami writes about the surreal, he shows he’s also capable of the entirely mundane.

Chronologically, A Wild Sheep Chase is the first of Murakami’s novels to be translated into English, despite being the third book in his ‘Trilogy of the Rat’. It’s a bizarre tale – if you couldn’t tell already – concerning an unnamed protagonist on a mysterious adventure across Tokyo and Hokkaido.

Driven to hunt for a magical sheep with a mysterious birthmark by ‘The Boss’, he’s joined by his girlfriend with supernatural ears, before being later abandoned and forced to embark instead on an isolated journey. It’s a weird and wonderful addition to Murakami’s collection.

Taking his love of the surreal to the depths of the night, After Dark follows 19-year-old Mari on a weird and wonderful journey through Tokyo’s underworld, led by a young man called Tetsuya, who promises he knows her older sister.

Over the course of just one night, each chapter clocks a different time to completely immerse the reader. Partner this with Murakami’s tradition of including references to music in each of his novels and you’ve got a ticket to the true depths that After Dark will embroil you in, if you let it.

One of Murakami’s shortest novels, South of the Border, West of the Sun is set in post-war Japan following Hajime. As an only child, he finds comfort in Shimamoto, another only child, and their friendship blossoms — until she moves away. A decade on, Hajime runs a jazz bar (a herald to Murakami’s past) and Shimamoto comes back into his life like a strike of lightning. Though, he’s now married with children.

It captures some of Murakami’s greatest themes – telling a contemporary tale swirled together with an endearing woman, enchanting magical realism, and the complexities of growing up.

Another compilation of short stories from Murakami in our list, and a more modern instalment. Seven tales make up Men Without Women, but all with interweaving themes of mystery, isolation, a search for love, and even the Beatles.

This is a compact example of Murakami’s capabilities (compared with some of the epic novels he’s written) and each story finds a way in Murakami’s beautiful manner to speak to us in its own right. It’s also a great starting point for first realising Murakami’s ability to make you laugh, cry, and embrace his magic through his carefully crafted words.

Originally printed as three volumes, this trilogy is vast, so you’ll need to carve out time to embrace it. But, what you’ll get in return for your time is a truly immersive experience of mixed genres from mystery, to romance, to alternate realities.

It follows two star-crossed lovers, Aomame and Tengo, as Aomame finds herself in a parallel existence in 1984. Hence, IQ84, with the Q standing for question mark. As their stories intertwine over the course of a year, there’s a deeply mysterious and dark tale to be told.

A bold shift in narrative for Murakami, but one that is navigated with ease, Kafka on the Shore follows 15-year-old, Kafka Tamura. Leaving behind his life, Kafka embarks on a maze-like journey to find his mother and sister.

He straddles two realities; the conscious and unconscious as Murakami once again plays with the idea of the dreamscape and what creeps into our own humanity. And, there’s the older character of Nakata who finds himself inspired by a much-younger Kafka to embark on his own journey and a fresh start.

By far one of Murakami’s most famous works and adapted for the big screen in 2010, Norwegian Wood follows Toru, a college student struggling with love and loss. While his relationship with his girlfriend, Naoko, is troubled, Toru finds himself drawn to the free-willed and vibrant Midori.

It’s this intricate look at a young man’s struggle with themes of isolation and searching for a beautiful, true love that captivated readers from first publication and subsequently made Murakami a household name across Japan.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle represents arguably the ultimate Murakami. Through reading Murakami, you’ll learn about some of the surreal subjects he loves – vanishing cats, sexual enthralment, and mystifying women – all of which feature greatly here.

It’s a detective mystery intertwined with Japanese history as Toru Okada goes on a search for both his missing cat and wife. Like Murakami’s other work, it’s mystifying and open to interpretation. It’s also the best representation of his innate skill as a writer.