The Elephant Vanishes
A collection of short stories that appeared in various publications between 1983 and 1990, this particular compilation was first published in 1993. It includes the opening chapter of what would later become The Wind-up Bird Chronicle in addition to sixteen separate stand-alone works.
The Elephant Vanishes demonstrates two things about Murakami’s writing style. First is his remarkable ability to draw attention to minute and subtle details of the everyday and blending in the decidedly surreal. Second is the fact that his strength appears to lie more in longer novels than short stories. While every tale in this book exemplifies the nuances of his writing style that fans will find instantly familiar, many feel like unfinished fragments of longer stories (this is actually true in the case of The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday’s Women). Interesting characters are introduced, given depth and then placed in unusual situations but these ideas are not followed through to their full potential.
That is not to say that there is nothing to be gained from these stories: the likes of Family Affair, The Silence and A Slow Boat to China feel almost autobiographical (if they actually were I would not be in the least bit surprised), picking out home truths concerning modern life and the human condition. On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl on a Beautiful April Morning is possibly his most heartfelt work since Norwegian Wood with its impact delivered in only a few pages.
Others are more vague in terms of what, if any, underlying messages they are trying to convey. The Little Green Monster, TV People and the story that gives this collection its title are well-written in terms of character and atmosphere but they reach a very abrupt conclusion. Others, such as Lederhosen, are similar to …the 100% Perfect Girl… in that they are built around one simple and abstract idea. Others highlight his love for the metaphysical and downright strange: Sleep is a prime example of this, while The Dancing Dwarf is a break from his usual style being a folk story crossed with fantasy.
In Summary
In terms of variety The Elephant Vanishes is a real winner - it is unlikely that readers will see the full range of Murakami’s imagination in his full-length novels. The flipside of this is that, while it contains some of his best work, the overall quality is inconsistant and it ends up being a mixed bag. The writing style and themes that he has become famous for are all here in abundance but some of the material on offer here may leave you feeling as if you’ve missed out on something along the way.
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