The Strange Library
By Haruki Murakami
Genre : Novella, Horror, Gothicš, Fantasy š
Rating 5/5 š
This is perhaps the first book by Murakami that I have felt unqueasy reading. It has no sexual content .. obviously because it is about a horrid experience by a child at a library .. and very picturesque in the imagery as usual with all his novels .. I just loved it. Next time I think of a library, I might give myself in to wondering what wonderful things or horrible things are going down in its basement .. lol
A kid walks into a library to return a set of books and loan some more and meets an old man librarian. The old man gives him three thick volumes on the topic the boy wants to learn about and tells him he has to read those books on premises only. He takes the boy into a basement which is organized like a maze like structure. The boy is locked into a room, his feet chained to a heavy iron ball to prevent movement and escape. A strange wool/sheep man is assigned to look after him. The sheepman does the cooking of delicious food items and a lovely, ghost like girl delivers it on a tea cart to the boy whose name we don't know. The old man asked him to read everything from those books within a week to forgo punishment. Though the boy takes to his reading meticulously, his desire to escape and get back to his mom makes him plot an escape plan with the sheep man and the girl. So, can he make it out of the library ? Will he ever enter another such library in his life again? How many children have met with a similar experience in the past?
Cool story, I could feel everything the narrator was describing.
Though very small book, I think the lesson is to not trust strangers, learn to say a strict "no" and have faith that help comes - and in some form/fashion it will. Also that the old man has a craving appetite for brains filled with knowledge .. so maybe the boy is put into an inescapable situation. Learn, get punished. Don't learn, get punished. A catch 22 situation indeed!
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