Barn Burning, By Haruki Murakami (1992)

Barn Burning, By Haruki Murakami (1992)

9/10


After reading three short stories written by Haruki Murakami, I guess I can say became quite familiar with his way of writing. He seems to show several unique features in his stories. 

One of these features are not naming his characters, Not naming his characters seems to put us in a strange distance with the story. We are not too close to the characters, but we are just close enough to immerse in their story as a third person. 

I also sensed that Murakami enjoys making his characters commit crimes, and also making these crimes seen harmless and meaningful. Through good buildups he made robbery and arson seem like a strange but acceptable action. 

One difference 'Barn Burning' has with the other stories is that it ends in a mystery. Did the man actually burn the barn? Was he lying about the whole thing all along? Both we and the narrator would never know. Just as the narrator lives on with the idea of the barn in the back of his mind, so will we.

I rated the story nine out of ten.

(183 words)

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