Dance,Dance, Dance
Set in a modern world of ‘post capitalistic mayhem’, Dance, Dance, Dance follows a humble magazine journalist as a visit to an old holiday destination brings back memeories of years previously. The Dolphin Hotel, formerly a run-down and unappealing establishment, is rebuilt and unrecogniseable. Despite this he is drawn back by recollections of the times he shared with a woman he has not seen in years. His stay at the new Dolphin Hotel leads to reunions with old friends and chance encounters with some colourful characters: add to this a mysterious murder and Murakami’s characteristic writing style and Dance, Dance, Dance is the result.
Although it is the sequel to another one of his novels, A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance can be read perfectly well as a stand-alone story. The typical Murakami-esque themes of fate, parallel universes and a sense of loneliness in the midst of modern life are scattered around but as always there is also a healthy dose of originality.
As our hero returns to his old haunt of the Dolphin Hotel the place that he has recognised is gone, yet he still finds out some important things about himself and his life. The friendships he strikes up with the people he meets there for instance have an immense effect on how his day-to-day existence plays out afterwards, and only heightens the overwhelming sense of isolation. That is not to say that this is a depressing take on modern life: the eternally poetic prose and quirky characters, not to mention the easygoing and fatalistic protagonist, make this a very entertaining and thoughtful journey.
At times a cynical and laconic take on the state of modern society, Dance, Dance, Dance adds a murder-mystery theme to the mix and as a result has a few home truths concerning the world we live in. No matter what happens however, the central character remains honest, level-headed and easy for the reader to relate to; the writing style makes our sharing of his experiences all the more enjoyable and compelling.
In Summary
Because it has some relation to another of his books and contains quite a few surreal and philosophical aspects Dance, Dance, Dance is probably not the most adviseable first choice for anyone who isn’t familiar with Murakami’s style. That said, it is up to the same standard of many of his other works and the translator has done a superb job of capturing the magic of his storytelling.
Leave a Reply