Men Without Women: Stories
by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel and Theodore Goossen
Buy on AmazonEach story in Men Without Women is about a man dealing with who they are in relation to the women around them, whether it’s their lover, deceased wife or chauffeur. Without these women, they’re nothing – sometimes literally. Haruki Murakami’s female characters have always fascinated me. Though even the most banal seem like otherworldly beings, they never read as manic pixies; their mysteriousness is captivating, not nonspecific. The women make me sit at the edge of my seat, and I never feel resolved enough to relax back into my chair. Despite Murakami’s focus on male protagonists, it’s the women that keep me reading.
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"Each story in Men Without Women is about a man dealing with who they are in relation to the women around them, whether it’s their lover, deceased wife or chauffeur. Without these women, they’re nothing – sometimes literally. Haruki Murakami’s female characters have always fascinated me. Though even the most banal seem like otherworldly beings, they never read as manic pixies; their mysteriousness is captivating, not nonspecific. The women make me sit at the edge of my seat, and I never feel resolved enough to relax back into my chair. Despite Murakami’s focus on male protagonists, it’s the women that keep me reading."
NPR Books We Love — 2017 · apps.npr.org