When I say that South of the Border, West of the Sun is a typical Murakami tale, I say that with a fond tremble to my voice because typical Murakami is much more interesting and better written than most other fiction. The familiar parts of any Murakami tale are here though: male protagonist, slightly awkward and not socially invested, likes music and whiskey; odd female love interest with mysterious secrets; a satisfying mixture of Tokyo and rural region Japan. What differs in this novel is that there aren't as many ethereal, strange events (though there are a couple), it's more biographical than any of his other works so far (at least in my opinion), and it's more of a love story than anything else I've read of his yet.

The story tells of an only child named Hajime, and it follows his life from childhood into middle age. This is another way in which South of the Border differs. Few of Murakami's stories span the decades like this. Norwegian Wood did, but not in such an expansive way, and in many ways this story does have quite a few similarities to Norwegian Wood, but goes further in the life of its protagonist and doesn't take such a bleak outlook on love. During Hajime's childhood, he meets a girl with a lame leg named Shimamoto, and they form a bond that stays with them for their entire lives, a bond that will re-ignite when he reaches that middle age and change his life drastically. But along the path of his journey, he meets other women. One he hurts irrevocably. One he marries and still hurts, but not to the breaking point. And of course, Shimamoto returns to him unexpectedly and shatters everything.

When I mentioned before how biographical this work is, I say so after reading Murakami's memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. In South of the Border, Hajime owns several jazz clubs, as did Murakami before he started writing. Hajime grew up in the same era as Murakami, witnessing the rebellions of the 60s and the explosion of popular culture in Japan. He also takes his fitness pretty seriously, but choosing water over the road (Murakami does swim, but running is his passion). I suppose every one of Murakami's protagonists is just Murakami, and maybe I felt as though Hajime was his closest doppleganger because I'd just read the memoir. It's often difficult to pinpoint things with Murakami novels. They're all similar enough to blend together over time. But at the same time, they all manage to set a different tone and feel different. I wish I could summon the proper words to convey what I mean by this.

South of the Border is, in my opinion, one of Murakami's strongest stories of love. He forces Hajime to make difficult decisions, decisions that toss around his carefully built life. Much of the time, Murakami's protagonists simply float along, accepting what comes and drinking away any worries. Hajime is unable to do this because unlike most of Murakami's leads, he has real responsibilities and obligations. He's also one of the oldest of Murakami's males, clocking in at a hale 37 by the end of the novel.

I can't think of much else to say about the book, mostly because if you've read Murakami, you'll know what to expect, and if you haven't this probably isn't the book I'd start with (though honestly any one of them might be the same to start with). I liked it, as is to be expected, and while I wouldn't say it was my favorite of his works, nor would I say it was my least favorite. I'm not sure I have a least favorite, though the jumpy nature of After Dark kind of bothered me.