A mesmerizing collision of sci-fi and dystopian fiction, 1Q84 is a different take on the classic to George Orwell’s 1984. This book really caught my attention because it was written by a Japanese author, which is something unique from anything I’ve written because of how it was translated from Japanese to English! Taking place in Tokyo, Japan in the fictionalized year of 1Q84, which obviously is based on 1984, this rich story explores mature themes of violence, romance, and underlying dark motives. If you know about 1984, you’ll definitely see similarities between these books as they both involve organizations putting people under surveillance to discover parts of their life.

1Q84 revolves around the perspectives of 3 different characters: Masami Aomame, a 30-year-old woman who is a very meticulous assassin who goes by “Aomame”, Tengo, a writer who also works as a math tutor, and Ushikawa, a strangely unattractive man who is hired to investigate Tengo and Aomame when introduced in the 3rd part of the story.

I want to emphasize that this book is not for the faint of heart and the young reader, as there are many topics explored that should be read by older audiences. Anyways, despite the fact that there are many complications that involve violence and even brainwashing, I found this story quite interesting because it actually ended up being an eventful journey of a one-of-a-kind love story that involves rekindling past relationships. This book is truly different from anything I have read, and while writing this I found it a bit hard trying to put my thoughts into words because it is such an indescribable story. It’s one of the most, I guess, “adulty” books I’ve read and I feel like reading this has really broadened not only my reading preferences but my reading ability!

So, if you are looking for a strange book unlike anything you have read before or to expand your reading capabilities, definitely go check out 1Q84!

-Julianne T.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.