the elephant vanishes

Murakami, Haruki. The Elephant Vanishes. Vintage Books Publishing, 1993.

ISBN: 0679750533

The Elephant Vanishes
Written by: Haruki Murakami
Reviewed by: Mariam Zagub
Recommended Audience: Young Adults and Adults

In The Elephant Vanishes, 17 short stories take you into the minds of many different people with diverse lives in Japan. A man becomes completely obsessed with the disappearance of an elephant, a newlywed couple spontaneously attack McDonald’s in the middle of the night, and a Lederhosen becomes the reason for a divorce between a couple in Tokyo, are a few of the strange stories Murakami puts in his book. All his short stories are designed to make readers think from a different perspective.

Many of these short stories are funny and sometimes absurd. The writing includes a mix of whimsical realism and pathetic wandering of the everyday lives of Murakami’s many characters. He also brings in many American and musical references into this book. His short stories are very metaphorical and sometimes ironic. They’ll definitely take readers into a whole other world of rationale.