Review: "Dance, Dance, Dance" by Haruki Murakami
It's all connected
I’m on a mission to read every Murakami novel in the order they were published; this novel is my 6th:
Hear the Wind Sing (The Rat #1)
Pinball, 1973 (The Rat #2)
A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat #3)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Norwegian Wood
Dance, Dance, Dance (The Rat #4)
Dance, Dance, Dance is part of a series connected by the same narrator.
I took this novel on vacation. It’s the fastest I’ve ever completed a 400-page book: just over 2 weeks. Coincidentally, I stayed at the Dolphin Resort at Disney World. A major part of A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance, Dance, Dance is an important location called “The Dolphin Hotel.” However, I can confirm I didn’t visit The Sheep Man.
The overarching premise entails a youth navigating friendships and relationships and eventually maturing into a professional writer traveling and reviewing restaurants. Shoveling snow as he put it, because it’s unexciting.
The series wraps up beautifully, in my opinion. I am genuinely impressed with what Dance, Dance, Dance offers. I vow not to spoil it, but it felt like a cross between The Sixth Sense and Oldboy—incredible twists! The ending was poignant and satisfactory.
The collection of characters is one of Murakami’s signature author traits: a clairvoyant girl, a famous photographer, a former actor, and a one-armed poet. This story is about resolving issues and the intricacies of relationships.
The Knots
“The Sheep Man Cometh” as the narrator said in A Wild Sheep Chase.
The Sheep Man is a mysterious character from the prior novel that appears to be a man wearing a full-body sheep costume. His dialog is unique as it’s likethiswithwordsadjacent. I think this is supposed to elicit tonelessness. The Sheep Man exists only in the ‘other realm’ which can be accessed by the Dolphin Hotel and appears in the narrator’s dreams.
As the protagonist bravely visits The Sheep Man on the (‘other realm’) 16th floor of the Dolphin Hotel, he is advised to find and untie all his knots to move ahead in life. This becomes increasingly clear to the protagonist through the rest of the novel as he deals with meeting old friends, loved ones’ deaths, and romantic relationships. There is quite a lot of death in this novel compared to any of Murakami’s works.
Dance, Dance, Dance is a reminder of the importance of confronting and resolving the complexities and challenges of our past. These unresolved matters can hold us back from achieving true contentment and understanding in life. “Everythingisconnected” as The Sheep Man says. The protagonist accomplishes reaching fulfillment by finally maturing in this last installment of The Rat series.
People Don’t Just Disappear
Dance, Dance, Dance is about 95% real and 5% imaginary; a good balance, in my opinion. There’s an awful lot of meandering and time-wasting that makes me nervous to read. I think it’s integral to the story as it shows the protagonist contemplating his life. That reminds me of the recurring advanced capitalism remarks the protagonist makes to criticize modern life, but perhaps that’s what he is shedding as he matures. Again, I vow not to spoil anything! This is by far my favorite from Murakami.
My next Muraki novel will be South of the Border, West of the Sun thank you, Gillian for letting me borrow your copy 😁
Are you interested in following my reading list? I’m updating my Goodreads for 2023, so let’s be friends on the platform. Let’s see how many books I can finish by the end of the year!