Haruki Murakami Manga stories 3.

With their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami’s signature themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the two stories in this volume are:

• Scheherazade: A man, Habara, is confined to his home, as though under house arrest. He is visited regularly by a woman, Scheherazade, who brings provisions then has sex with him. She tells him about a boy she was in love with in high school, and how she would break into his house. She starts re-enacting the break-ins, which further enhances their passion. At the end of the story, Habara anxiously awaits her next break-in and the continuing account of her youthful affair. “Tortured love affairs […] are nothing new to Murakami’s vast store of plotlines.” —The New York Times

• Sleep: A housewife has not slept for many days, but her family doesn’t notice. She stays up all night reading Anna Karenina and sees her surroundings through new eyes. Her sleeplessness provides freedom from a monotonous life looking after her husband and son. “A brilliant story that uses the liminality of the night to evoke the unease of being a woman in a patriarchal society.” —The Guardian

These graphic novel versions of Murakami’s classic stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for readers not yet familiar with it!