When a thirty-something portrait painter is abandoned by his wife, he holes up in the mountain home of a famous artist. The days drift by, spent painting, listening to music and drinking whiskey in the evenings. But then he discovers a strange painting in the attic and unintentionally begins a strange journey of self-discovery that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a precocious thirteen-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt and a haunted underworld.
A stunning work of imagination, Killing Commendatore is a surreal tale of love and loneliness, war and art.***
TODAY WHEN I awoke from a nap the faceless man was there before me. PROLOGUE
***
(@vintagebooks, 9 October 2018, 704 pages, ebook, bought from @AmazonKindle)
***
***
So, I am a rabid fan of Murakami. I've read a lot of his books but still have a decent amount of his back catalogue to lose myself in. I read all three books of IQ84I at the start of the year and they dazzled me. I couldn't wait to read Killing Commendatore. As expected I loved it. I've only recently realised his work can be classed as magic realism which should be obvious but has escaped my attention before. This is almost as brilliant as IQ84. I loved this book so much; it's definitely one of my top reads this year. I recently bought another two titles from his back catalogue and have pre-ordered a book for 2021 so I look forward to getting lost in them. Killing Commendatore is dazzling; it tackles similar themes the author tackles in other books such as love, loneliness and isolation. I love the way the author effortlessly blends supernatural events such as figures in a painting coming to life with everyday concerns and experiences of a man struggling to find his place in the world after his marriage breaks down.
