COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI by Haruki Murakami | Book Review

my LAST Murakami novel review!! T-T
F.A.Q.
1. KATE you read so many Murakami novels?? Where do I start??
I have an entire video made for the purpose that I get asked this literally every video I mention Murakami - it is my most viewed video so you can very easily find it.
2. How do you pronounce your username?
Pfeil is pronounced “file” - it’s German
3. What is your college major/what do you do in college?
I was originally a nutrition major and I’m now in English Education. I’m planning on teaching English in Korea
4. What languages do you know?
English, Spanish, German, Korean and ASL. Yes, feel free to leave comments in any of these languages and I’ll try my best to reply in that language - my German is a little rusty since I only use it with my Grandparents and I’m currently learning Korean soooo cut me some slack lol English and Spanish though I’m (basically) fluent.
5. YOU LIKE KPOP???? WHAT GROUPS/PEOPLE/SONGS?
Yes, I love Kpop - I have an entire channel separate for kpop unboxings and chatting about kpop which is listed above, and it’s why I don’t really talk about it on here except in my Favorites videos each month! My bias groups are BTS and EXO (and EXOCBX) and my UB is Zhang Yixing. I also fucking LOVE Bastarz, Seventeen, Blackpink, Dean, CL, and GD. I also watch kdramas so totally feel free to chat with me about them in the comments!

[@layarobin3641]

I think murakami was giving hints through all the story that the person who killed shiro was tsukuru's father because at one point he said they found cigarettes in shiro's house (and he mentioned numerous times that tsukuru's dad smokes a lot and died out of lung cancer) and he also said that when the father was about to die he wanted to say something but couldn't (maybe because of the guilt he felt) and also his dad's name was also tsukuru so it would make sense that shiro wasnt actually lying

[@Desmond-xp4wr]

Haha, very nice of you to just straight-up spoiled part of the story for me and others. I just bought the book and was so excited to open it, so I decided to check some reviews, and to my surprised I ended up getting spoiled. Thank you!!

[@rooftopkorean6995]

​@Desmond-xp4wr almost like this video has spoilers as well. Crazy

[@aaronfong5030]

Putting myself in Tsuruku's shoes which I always do when reading novels I felt that the last internal conversation he had with himself answered all the open-ended cliffhanging questions. Because those questions doesn't matter anymore and it was literally a perfect closure.

[@armhancasabuena1659]

I agree. Closure. Some kind of saying to himself after those "confrontations" with his former friends, he realized that it's not really his fault and there's nothing wrong with him or should we say Colorless.

[@SanitaNr1]

It just hit me, Haida's story was about Haida not his father and he was the one who accepted the death thing. So he just didn't disappear. He went off to die. But I also don't remember for how long they spent time together, so it might not make sense.

[@Elaaaad]

It's been 5 years since your review on the book but I just saw it and felt the need to explain some stuff, that once you realize them you see the book in a completely different way. And IMO this is exactly why Murakami should win the Nobel Prize. [HUGE SPOILER ALERT] The rapist and then killer of Shiro was Tsukuru Tazaki's dad whose name is also Tsukuru Tazaki. So Shiro didn't lie, she was indeed raped by Tsukuru Tazaki but not our Tsukuru Tazaki, it was his dad. How do we know that? 1. At the end of the book there are several pages all about Tsukuru's dad. Why? 2. Tsukuru says dad was never home and probably had a mistress (Shiro). 3. Tsukuru says dad wanted to confess about something before he died (what he did to Shiro) but never did. 4. Tsukuru confirms that his dad's name is also Tsukuru Tazaki 5. After Haida tells his story Tsukuru isn't sure if Haida talks about his dad or about himself, and this confusion between the dad and the son is the point regarding Shiro's rapist and murderer. He never saw Haida again cause he probably killed himself. 6. When Shiro was found dead there were no signs of a fight at her place, it means that she let Tsukuru's dad, that she knew well, inside the house. 7. In Shiro's home cigarettes were found although no one knew she smoked, and later Tsukuru tells us that his dad died of lung cancer after smoking 50 cigarettes a day (so the cigarettes that were found were his and not hers). 8. Why didn't Shiro just say it was the father and not the son? Except for the fact that she had mental issues, the point of the book is that a deep conversation (as Tsukuru did with his friends 16 years later) would have made things much clearer. After realizing all of the above you look at this book from a completely different prespective. That is why I think Murakami is just genius.

[@xox840]

I'm literally in shock after reading this

[@xox840]

but wait a sec tsukuru's father was named Toshio not Tsukuru

[@TheBookishLand]

Ordered this book right away, it sounds so good!! It's been a long time since I last read Haruki Murakami's book and I was thinking revisting his work a lot recently. And I don't know when Killing Commendatore will be translated into English, but at least we have something to expect XD

[@murakamireads]

I will be eagerly awaiting Killing Commendatore until its here! I'm trying not to get to hyped because its SUCH a huge book it'll probably take a while for a translation to happen :( though I did hear rumors that someone might be already picking it up to translate~!

[@frankfeldman6657]

i agree about the loose ends-not sure why i'm ok with them, they seem to sync with all sorts of things floating around in the ether-odd numbers of fingers, etc.enjoyed your review. i think your wish for loose ends to be tied up fly in the face of what he's trying to get us to feel throughout, a particular feeling in the reader, no? i hardly think it was laziness.

[@bianeyvilchis4669]

Hi! I've just finished this book! I didn't like the ending ... I agree with you, it is sad not to know more about Haida. Gracias por tu video sobre este libro :)

[@nogasha]

Don't you feel like most of the annoying points are a way for Murakami to put you in the protagonist state of mind? Like Tsukuru we cannot get any answers, we feel like people leave and we have no idea why, and we have to go on not knowing if people will keep leaving us. I had my issues with the book (mainly since I felt every female character was mainly boobs and vagina) but I truly felt like I was experiencing it from Tsukuru POV completely and so his fears and insecurities were more understandable to me. Otherwise, I would probably be mad at him for not getting over college.I totally understand the need to know, but I also feel that, in that situation, if Tsukuru did found out the truth it wouldn't make his experiences better. It wouldn't fix the hurt he suffered through the years and probably wouldn't make him a whole person again.

[@murakamireads]

Well of course the annoying things I also understand are very necessary for the reasons you stated. That doesn't mean they aren't still annoying and frustrating as hell haha - it's one thing to recognize something as being a good piece of writing and good story telling and its another to not like said book. It's like reading for school; I can appreciate that many of the novels we read for class are classics and beloved by people all over the world - does that mean I enjoy them though? not always. But of course I love how Murakami writes and puts you completely into the narrators shoes. It just simply gets a little tedious after reading 12 books by the guy and having basically the same narrator for all of them in my personal opinion. I really wish Murakami would write about something new because, like I said, I love the characters that surround our narrators and the worlds and the stories but I never actually like the main character and its kind of annoying.

[@nogasha]

Completely valid points :) I've read far less Murakami books and the whole male, 30ish, relative loner protagonist got repetitive pretty fast for me so I can only imagine how you feel after 12 books. Thank you for the review and the reply :)

[@pratikdahal9596]

What I felt after reading this is that it ends on the very same note it had opened to, unquestioned answers revolving around Tazaki. The novel itself says that some problems in life cannot be explained by making use of any language. Life very much is relatable to it, no matter how much we try to make things clearer, there are things that keep on coming and we need to go through it as Tazaki does.

[@parkerrose3590]

Read this book from the library a few months ago. Now I want to buy and reread it!

[@westerling8436]

it's shit

[@plusminuscons]

Mmm I think in the end what you said about "It doesn't matter if A or B happened at the end" is true, and as such I can see why it was never included, but it certainly is unsatisfying on some level- Tsukuru has some answers, but is left in this position of vulnerability where we just doesn't know if he's going to be abandoned again and there's all this tension for the reader as a result that never gets released. But on the other hand, I feel like there's a bit of a message there about how we never really know, and we just have to do our best and take chances with human intimacy anyway. So I understood why the ending was the way it was, but also felt a bit frustrated by it as well.

[@murakamireads]

I obviously know WHY murakami has the endings as he does lol I just sometimes can't stand the man when he doesn't tie up anything - after reading all of his 13 novels, I JUST WANT SOME ANSWERS haha

[@TheReadersAthenaeum]

A new Murakami short story collection, Men Without Women, was just published a couple of months ago here in the UK, but I've not got around to reading it yet. I'm looking forward to your new overview video - I've read almost all Murakami books now but am interested in which ones you liked most. :)

[@murakamireads]

Yup that story collection was published in May here! I was planning on buying it ASAP but its like $25 T-T so I'm waiting to ask for it for my bday in September! I'll be remaking my murakami video wicked soon and I'll be talking about my faves and stuff there!! :D

[@dannyponce4523]

Kate Pfeil I think I got that book(men without women) on amazon prime for like 15 bucks! I'm also a huuuge Murakami fan and I rue the day i finish all his novels. lol. I keep wanting more! btw! have you ever read any Roberto Bolaño? I'd love to hear your take on 2666! He is not my favorite author but thats such an.... intresting novel.

[@azura8910]

Hello Kate, and if possible that can I ask you something about in chapter 3 in the colorless by haruki murakami and his years of pilgrimage because I need it for a book report

[@sailijere4800]

Read the count of monte cristo

[@sangya9231]

It is so open ended , that i feel m on a cliffhanger! ☹️ wat abt Haida? Did Sara say a yes ? Does he feel more life in him or... every meet goes in vein!

[@westerling8436]

Sara said yes Haida is a soyboy Tsukuru just went on like he did Any other questions?

[@joshuadeguzman5152]

Apparently, I was not supposed to be expecting a satisfying, fairytale-like ending knowing that from the very start, Tsukuru's thoughts were nothing but dying but still I can't abondon the thinking that something (Deus ex machina style) will show up and solve some if not all of Tsukuru's problems or more like questions. That's just what I was thinking especially the moment I reached chapter 19. And I thought, "Is this really the final chapter? Because nothing of his questions are really resolved yet?" The ending is really unsatisfying compared to other Haruki's books. I mean, base on what I have already read, this one is too much just like what you, Kate, said... Somehow, I feel proud of Tsukuru on how he, in the end, still managed to keep going, not took his life, and finally feel the urge to hold tight and fight for what he love... I could relate to Eri/Kuro when she said to him he's the bravest among the five of them... Well deserved for him....

[@asraaslam3820]

I just read this book and literally I agree with everything you said why it was not a 5 star. I almost fell asleep on the last two chapters. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ I'm like please tie up some ends.

[@HimeBaezChan]

Murakami just trolled us all with this ending. Son of a bitch, but I still love him u.u

[@kmkha3145]

Finally finish and here i am.... super frustrating abt that end.. lol. I didnt know it was the end until i flip the nxt page.. :'3

[@NamiJ22]

I think that all Tsukuru’s friends didn’t really like being a group anymore and wanted to do their own thing and the freedom to date each other. So when the chance came to break up over the rape incident, everyone had no problem doing it, especially if Tsukuru as the scapegoat because Ao said he held the group together. Although they didn’t date each other but they at least went their separate ways

[@Ravenwoods]

3 minutes in and I'm still trying to figure out if she's speaking english with a norweigen accent, or she's a canadian living in england.

[@murakamireads]

Lol I’m from Boston

[@vincek7227]

Why did Haida want to kill himself?

[@guest_informant]

8:30 Best guess: Haida was gay. Tsukuru rejected, or did not acknowledge, his bold advance. Haida left and never saw him again. This kind of disappearance is normal when a relationship does not work out.

[@TideisSyllainDisguis]

it was interesting but felt quite tedious at times

[@nirchuy]

omg i went on the description box, and i saw that you know spanish language, so i'm going to write down a simple phrase and i hope that you can reply it in spanish, greetings from a mexican subscriber of yours, eres mi booktuber favorita 😉

[@murakamireads]

Gracias, eres demasiado amable! Y si, yo aprendi español en la escuela por nueves anos! Yo diría que es mi segundo mejor idioma ;D No lo uso a menudo sin embargo :(

[@nirchuy]

Kate Pfeil you blew my mind, your writing skills in spanish are amazing keep on the good work girl, i'll keep on touch 😆

[@nirchuy]

Kate Pfeil if you like i can comment in spanish for you not to get rusty on that language

[@Icemann11000]

Just finished reading the book. And truth be told , I think Haruki Murakami is a gifted writer, but I feel he just didn't stick the landing. The story itself, felt thin and uninspired, and ultimately, the main character was exactly what he called himself ... colorless. He was bland, and one-dimensional. As far as the ending is concerned ... it was a complete disappointment, and it felt like a a middle finger to the audience. I can forgive a bland protagonist, but an unresolved conclusion is unacceptable. After reading this novel, I am not sure I want to bother buying other works by Murakami.

[@leigh7569]

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki was pretty disappointing to me. Still liked it, but overall it felt pretty forgettable. Only Murakami I kind of disliked besides Sputnik Sweetheart.

[@murakamireads]

Sputnik Sweetheart is DEFINITELY my least favorite of his works. It's the one I gave a 2 star. But, I agree - Colorless Tsukuru was good, but definitely forgettable.

[@willanthoniozeppeli7913]

Is this what you do when youre not doing executions?