Sputnik Sweetheart

By: Haruki Murakami

Narrated by: Adam Sims

Part romance, part detective story, Sputnik Sweetheart tells the story of a tangled triangle of uniquely unrequited love.

Now with a new introduction from the author.

K is madly in love with his best friend, Sumire, but her devotion to a writerly life precludes her from any personal commitments. At least, that is, until she meets an older woman to whom she finds herself irresistibly drawn. When Sumire disappears from an island off the coast of Greece, K is solicited to join the search party—and finds himself drawn back into her world and beset by ominous visions. Subtle and haunting, Sputnik Sweetheart is a profound meditation on human longing.

Critic reviews

“Grabs you from its opening lines. . . . [Murakami’s] never written anything more openly emotional.” —Los Angeles Magazine

“Murakami is a genius.” —Chicago Tribune

“Murakami has an unmatched gift for turning psychological metaphors into uncanny narratives.” –The New York Times Book Review

“An agonizing, sweet story about the power and the pain of love. . . . Immensely deepened by perfect little images that leave much to be filled in by the reader’s heart or eye.” –The Baltimore Sun

“[Murakami belongs] in the topmost rank of writers of international stature.” –Newsday

“Murakami’s true achievement lies in the humor and vision he brings to even the most despairing moments.” –The New Yorker

“Perhaps better than any contemporary writer, [Murakami] captures and lays bare the raw human emotion of longing.” –BookPage

“Murakami . . . has a deep interest in the alienation of self, which lifts [Sputnik Sweetheart] into both fantasy and philosophy.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“Not just a great Japanese writer but a great writer, period.” –Los Angeles Times Book Review

sputnik sweetheart

loved the story but the narrator lacked character understanding in terms of sarcasm and breaks

A novel on love

Some books you like and do not even know why. They are the ones who play with some feelings at the botton of yourself, and give voice to things that alone you could not describe. While being recognized in the history is when the reader is conquered. I think that's why I like Haruki Murakami's books, and especially this one. Sputnik Sweetheart comes with impossible loves. Those who are so sweeping and impossible that you can only resign and live them. The narrator and co main protagonist is so lost in your love, that he loses his own name. His love for his long lasting friend Sumire (Violet in Japanese) that is in love with another woman leads to the many adventures that are described in the book. The book's name keeps a good translation for this kind of love: Sputnik means traveling companion in Russian, and what a platonic love is but a beloved companion on the journey of life. The book still holds other features typical of Murakami's novel: as the reference to classical works, a little fantasy and the traditional distress It is another good example of the excelent work of this author. A must-read for anyone who is already a fan, and a good start for those who are not yet.

I hated this book, all five stars of it.

Any additional comments?

A book about feeling lonely, unrequited love. What a bunch of crap. I hated every minute of it and of course could not put it down. Damn that Murakami.

Lonely?

This is a delicious book, wonderfully read and performed. Why do we think and feel we are lonely? If you ever wonder, read or listen. You won't regret it.

A slice of the surreal

When you first pick up the novel you're originally going to be reminiscing of morikami's other work such as Norwegian Wood or blind Willow sleeping woman. this novel has a great deal of elements from those other works in terms of its slice of life variety but manages to blend an element of the obscure. The book does so in a way that is subtle without being alarming. the characters speak to the condition of the human psyche In a way that seems very natural.