The City And Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

A boy and a girl, both unnamed, fell in love during their teenage years. They were only sixteen and seventeen, experiencing the raw, unfiltered desires of young love. But one day, without warning, the girl vanished, leaving the boy with nothing but memories of their shared dreams. Almost thirty years have passed since then.

One morning, he awakens alone in a hole near the gate of a walled town—a place eerily familiar, resembling the dreamscape they had once imagined together. The Gatekeeper finds him and asks if he wishes to enter. The town is no utopia; entry requires sacrificing his shadow and enduring the wounding of both eyes. Despite the cost, he chooses to stay, taking up the role of a Dream Reader in the library and there, he is reunited with his long-lost love.

But nothing is ever straightforward. The next time he opens his eyes, he’s back in the “real” world. He encounters his shadow again, stirring a deep confusion about where he truly belongs. Driven by an inexplicable pull, he leaves his big-city job and finds work at a small-town library—one that feels uncannily similar to the walled town of his dreams.

Here, he meets the ghost of Mr. Koyasu and a boy named M, whose extraordinary abilities. The three are kindred spirits, bound by their shared loneliness. Together, their fates intertwine, leading to revelations that piece the narrative's many mysteries. As for the ending, I must say it is superb; when the boy’s mission is fulfilled, every question finds its answer in a stunning, unforgettable conclusion.

Hail Murakami! He’s done it again, weaving a tale of magical realism that lingers like a dream just beyond reach. This novel is a masterpiece—a journey through love, memory, and the labyrinth of the soul. I couldn’t ask for a more rewarding experience. This novel was based on a novella that the author published in 1980. 5 ⭐

Of The Flesh: 18 stories

Of The Flesh is a collection of 18 modern horror short stories that delve into themes such as eerie fairy-tale prayers, eating disorders, societal outcasts, immigration struggles, and even unsettling encounters with rats.

Standout Stories:

Sketch

Orla, a withdrawn bargirl, is grappling with her mother’s recent disappearance, which leaves her with a peculiar sketchbook. As her emotions take a darker turn, the sketches seem to come alive with an eerie force. Told in a striking comic strip format, this story adds a visual edge to the horror.

Fight, Flight, Freeze

Set in Malaysia, this tale follows Sara, who is entangled in an affair with a married man, Julien. After Julien’s wife dies, his behavior grows increasingly erratic. Sara begins receiving cryptic warnings that may be connected to the deceased wife, escalating tension and paranoia.

The Fruiting Body  

Paul and his fiancée, Jen, buy a house with rotting walls, suspecting they’ve made a terrible mistake. As Paul struggles with unemployment and Jen navigates her pregnancy, hallucinations and nightmares begin to plague Jen, straining their relationship and unraveling their lives.

Daisies  

Lucas is tasked with relocating his late mother’s remains to an urn. The twist? His mother’s body hasn’t decomposed—even after 30 years. This unsettling discovery leads to chilling revelations about the past.

The Broccoli Eel  

Benny lives in a tense household where his parents argue frequently, and his mother enforces strict dietary rules. But after a tragic accident involving his mother, Benny’s life takes a disturbingly dark turn.

Apples  

Recently divorced, Karen moves into a new home with an apple tree in the garden. After eating the apples, she begins experiencing strange and unexplainable phenomena that blur the lines between reality and nightmare.

Bob-a-Job

Richard works for a sinister requisitioning company, trapped until he pays off an overwhelming debt. His latest assignment seems straightforward: use his marketing position to gather personal information from a reclusive client to push a product. But as Richard delves deeper into the man's life, he uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving exploitation and manipulation that threatens to consume them both.

Overall, Of The Flesh offers a diverse blend of horror, ranging from chillingly atmospheric tales to stories that challenge genre norms. While some stories stand out as captivating reads, others stray from traditional horror, offering more subdued or unconventional takes on the genre.

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

The story begins with an unsettling claim by a forensic anthropologist: Vanessa Chapman’s 2005 sculpture, Division II, contains a rib bone that isn’t just from an animal—it’s human. The revelation sends scandal through the art world, unraveling a chain of mysteries tied to Chapman’s enigmatic life and death. A painter and ceramicist of unmatched brilliance, Vanessa lived in reclusion, crafting a legacy both haunting and beautiful. But as her closest relationships are scrutinized—her unfaithful husband, Julian, who vanished decades ago, and Grace Haswell, her loyal companion for twenty years—questions arise.

The characters are unforgettable: Grace, with her guarded loyalty and unspoken grief; James Becker, a curator struggling between duty and his own buried doubts, who becomes the lens through which Vanessa’s tangled world is viewed; and at the story's heart is Vanessa herself—a ghostly, commanding presence whose art continues to speak louder than her words and through the diary and notes that she left behind.

While some mysteries leave us with clear-cut answers, this one lingers in ambiguity, weaving a tale where art, memory, and the human condition intersect. The writing is stunning, evoking both the chilling nature of the revelations and the tender vulnerability of the characters. This isn’t just a mystery to solve; it’s a meditation on the stories we leave behind and how they’re retold by those we trust—or betray.

I closed this book with a shiver and an ache, knowing it will linger long after 2024 ends. A story like this deserves not just to be read but to be seen as a movie! This marks my 91st book in my reading challenge this year. I also want to express my gratitude to the beloved distributors for sending good books all these years. I really appreciate it.

She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark

This collection is perfect for readers drawn to stories that unflinchingly examine our most self-destructive tendencies. Each tale is haunting, imaginative, and deeply human. Some could even be expanded into novels, thanks to their complex worlds and characters. This is my second time reading Clark, and once again, I’m captivated by their light yet deeply incisive prose, which effortlessly constructs stories that linger in the mind and explore our darkest impulses.

My favorites:

Build a Body Like Mine  

In this chilling exploration of body image and identity, a woman discovers a life-altering secret about her body after years of self-denial. The twist—a parasitic "gift" that lets her indulge without consequences—forces her to reconcile control and surrender in a profoundly unsettling way. The story literally had me saying, “WTF” out loud multiple times. (Sorry, not sorry😅)

She’s Always Hungry  

Blending folklore with personal tragedy, this tale follows a man who captures a mysterious creature that transforms into a woman. Her cryptic request reveals the eerie truth behind his village’s vanishing men and his own fractured identity.

The Shadow Over Little Chitaly  

A sharp, satirical gem that reimagines fusion cuisine with an unexpected horror twist. Little Chitaly, the restaurant at the center, balances the line between the absurd and the grotesque as its eccentric menu defies customer expectations—and common sense.

Overall, Clark’s anthology seamlessly combines sharp wit, emotional depth, and the macabre, delivering stories that linger long after the final page. With its blend of dark humor, profound insights into human nature, and unsettling twists, it makes for an unforgettable read.

Juice by Tim Winton

A lengthy story revolves around a man and a girl, both unnamed, who travel together in search of a remote and sheltered settlement. Along the way, they encounter a stranger armed with a crossbow. At this point, the man decides to share his story alone, beginning with his origins and the people who lived in the hinterland. He grew up with his mother, who taught him everything he needed to survive as a responsible citizen and encouraged him to embark on journeys as a means of education. Through his travels, he gained a wealth of knowledge, symbolizing confidence, trust, and freedom.

In his community, there was no caste or hierarchy. Life was marked by challenging weather and epidemics, making it unsafe to remain in one place for too long. He asserted that he was not an ordinary person. Upon coming of age, he joined the Service with a specific mission. This transition changed his life, introducing him to routines and a world that was more complex than he had ever understood.

While the exact timeline isn't specified, it is likely set in a dystopian future several decades from now—a post-apocalyptic world devastated by climate change, violence, and chaos. The author also portrays the old world as dirty and rotten. It is now the task of the new generation to learn from the past and make sacrifices to ensure that such a catastrophe never happens again.

This narrative spans over 500 pages and is a thought-provoking read that tackles themes of grief and loss while addressing the global effects of generational trauma. I spent nearly two weeks engrossed in this imaginative tale, reflecting on our responsibilities, our understanding of identity, humanity, and technology, and grappling with the question of who is to blame. 😅😅