Set in Post-War Japan, the book revolves around two single children Hajime and Shimamoto, the latter of whom is affected by polio. They both share a close bond since their kindergarten days but are forced apart when Hajime moves away. A decade later, we meet Hajime who lives in Tokyo. He has become a successful businessman and is married and has two wonderful children. The story takes a turn with the reappearance of Shimamoto.
The beautiful Shimamoto captures the fancy of Hajime yet again and Hajime is deeply overwhelmed by her return. Their mutual attraction threatens to change their lives.
Is Shimamoto living in the past? Is he living a fantasy? Is Shimamoto real or a figment of his imagination? Which one will he chose - his current family or his love from the past? The questions are complex, and so are the answers.
The unforgettable memories of the past, the sweet fantasies of ideal love and the many unanswerable questions in the lives of protagonist unveil the surrealism in the novel.
The book, South Of The Border, West Of The Sun, was first published in 1992. The novel has been well received for its interesting portrayal of complex emotions and for its contemplative tone.
About Haruki Murakami A critically acclaimed writer and translator, Haruki Murakami is an important postmodern literary figure. He is rightly regarded as one of the greatest living writers.
Other than South Of The Border, West Of The Sun, Murakami has written other short stories and novels. His prominent works include Hear The Wind Sing, Sputnik Sweetheart, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Pinball, Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of the World, and Kafka on the Shore.
Murakami is known for his surrealistic style of writing and for his recurrent themes of loneliness, and isolation. Born in Japan, Murakami has a passion for western music and literature. Many of his novels have the titles of songs. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards like the Jerusalem Prize, Noma Literary Prize, and the Franz Kafka prize.
Haruki Murakami ( January 12, 1949) is a Japanese writer. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country. The critical acclaim for his fiction and non-fiction has led to numerous awards, in Japan and internationally, including the World Fantasy Award (2006) and the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award (2006). His oeuvre received, for example, the Franz Kafka Prize (2006) and the Jerusalem Prize (2009). Murakami's most notable works include A Wild Sheep Chase (1982), Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002), and 1Q84 (2009–10). He has also translated into Japanese English works by writers ranging from Raymond Carver to J. D. Salinger. His fiction, still criticized by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, was influenced by Western writers from Chandler to Vonnegut by way of Brautigan. It is frequently surrealistic and melancholic or fatalistic, marked by a Kafkaesque rendition of the "recurrent themes of alienation and loneliness he weaves into his narratives. He is also considered an important figure in postmodern literature. Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his works and achievements.