Killing Commendatore: A novel
BUT SOMETHING THIS STRANGE IS A FIRST
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
Menshiki is intrigued by the bells too, and arranges a landscaper to dig up the stones. There are strabge parallelds between this bell and some stories about a monk who is buried alive but still ringing a gong when buried up more than hundred years later, after his sould had been enlightened.
The portrait might be a passable likeness, but no more. To turn out a true portrait, I had to discover the story that must be painted. Only that could get the ball rolling.
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
Menshiki was still in both paintings, but I noticed that his appearance was strangely different depending on the two angles. It was as if two different personalities coexisted within him. Yet both versions of Menshiki were missing something. That shared lack unified both the A and B versions of Menshiki. I had to discover what it was, as if it were
... See moreHaruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
This is interesting given that two versions of Menshiki are shown to exists later when Mariye is hiding within his house, helped by the Commendatore.
His collection included the obligatory nods to Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Vivaldi, Debussy, and Ravel, but that’s all. Since he was an opera fan there were, as you might expect, some recordings by Verdi and Puccini. But compared to the substantial lineup of German opera he didn’t seem as enthusiastic about these.
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
ETERNITY IS A VERY LONG TIME
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
Over the river and through the woods to a wind cave from childhood, this time inhabited by a 2 foot tall Donna Anna from Don Giovanni.
Her death didn’t hit us like a bolt from the blue, like when your mother was stung by hornets.” “A bolt…?” “A bolt from the blue,” I said. “A bolt of lightning that strikes from a cloudless sky. Something sudden and unexpected.”
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
“I think it was F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote that one should never trust people who claim they’re normal. It’s in one of his novels.”
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
I felt relieved to know I wasn’t crazy, but I had to admit that the unreality of the situation had now, through Menshiki, taken on a reality, creating a slight gap in the seam of the world.
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
Menshiki as bridge between worlds again. Later, Menshiki's house is literally called out as a bridge between worlds. Frustratingly enough, this is never filled out in a rewarding way (at least not for me).
IT APPEARS THAT SEVERAL BLANKS NEED FILLING IN
Haruki Murakami • Killing Commendatore: A novel
Menshiki pulls the artist from the pit behind the shrine. Mariye is apparently back as well, unharmed.