3 Review(s)

Embark on a journey of love and loneliness, war and art with Haruki Murakami’s historical fiction Killing Commendatore. This engaging work of imagination by one of the greatest contemporary authors is a homage to The Great Gatsby. Summary of the Book Killing Commendatore is a tale of an unnamed portrait painter, whose wife leaves him at the beginning of the book. Heartbroken, he goes on a long road trip and ends up in a remote and empty house of a renowned artist, Tomohiko Amada, after his car breaks down. In the attic of the house, the protagonist finds a previously unseen painting, and unintentionally, initiates a circle of mysterious circumstances. To stop the circle, he has to complete a journey. This journey involves a bizarre ringing bell, a physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman, a precocious teenage girl, a Nazi assassination attempt, a pit in the woods, and a metaphorical underworld. About Haruki Murakami A Japanese novelist, short-story writer, essayist, and translator - Haruki Murakami has a huge fan base around the world for his notable works. His books, such as A Wild Sheep Chase, Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, and 1Q84 are all bestsellers in many countries. His books were also translated into English by writers including Raymond Carver and J. D. Salinger. His works revolve around surrealistic, melancholic or fatalistic themes including alienation.