Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. All of their surnames contained a colour, such as Akamatsu (red pine) or Kurono (black field). Only Tsukuru’s name was colourless. One day his friends said they didn’t want to see him again, and ever since Tsukuru has drifted through life, unable to connect with anyone. Then he meets Sara, who gives him an ultimatum: “Get over it . . . otherwise you’ll carry around that baggage for the rest of your life.” As Tsukuru embarks on a pilgrimage to find out what happened to his friends, he discovers much about them but more about himself. This is classic Murakami, an isolated character struggling to make his way through a world both deceptively simple and utterly fantastical, his story told through prose infused with all the beauty and meaning of a Kyoto tea ceremony.
