Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night.
 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart. (From the publisher.)

Because IQ84 is such a tome, the Klub is extending the discussion period by another month. As such, Night Circus discussion will now open at the end of April. 

IQ84 - discussion UPDATED

Unlike White Masai, there's no dearth of discussion questions online for this book. I've blatantly stolen this list of questions from LitLovers. The questions fall into three main categories that I think are worth exploring.

1. The relationship between these novels and Orwell's 1984, as well as Murakami's other influences.

2. The role of women in Japanese society and whether that makes Aomame's actions outside the law justifiable

3. The fantasy element of the book and the way in which it allows the author to explore aspects of Japanese society.

Discussion is now open. Please post your thoughts in the comments.

Because of IQ84's scope and size, Klub members have requested more time to finish the books. Discussion will now be open until the end of Feb and the calender has been pushed back a month as a result.

Discussion Questions

1. Murakami has said he is a fan of the mystery writer Elmore Leonard. What elements of the mystery genre does 1Q84 employ? How does Murakami keep readers guessing about what will happen next? What are some of the book’s most surprising moments?

2. Why would Murakami choose to set his story in 1984, the year that would serve as the title for George Orwell’s famous novel about the dangers of Big Brother?

3. The taxi driver in Chapter 1 warns Aomame that things are not what they seem, but he also tells her: “Don’t let appearances fool you. There’s always only one reality” (p. 9). Does this statement hold true throughout the novel? Is there only one reality, despite what appears to be a second reality that Aomame and Tengo enter?

4. Aomame tells Ayumi: “We think we’re choosing things for ourselves, but in fact we may not be choosing anything. It could be that everything's decided in advance and we pretend we’re making choices. Free will may be an illusion” (p. 192). Do the events in the novel seem fated or do the characters have free will?

5. When Tamaru bids goodbye to Aomame, he says: “If you do go somewhere far away and I never see you again, I know I’ll feel a little sad. You’re a rare sort of character, a type I’ve seldom come across before” (p. 885). What type of person is Aomame? What qualities make her extraordinary?

6. The dowager insists, and Aomame agrees, that the killing they do is completely justified, that the men whom they kill deserve to die, that the legal system can’t touch them, and that more women will be victims if these men aren’t stopped. Is it true that Aomame and the dowager have done nothing wrong? Or are they simply rationalizing their anger and the desire for vengeance that arises from their own personal histories?

7. Tengo realizes that rewriting Air Chrysalis is highly unethical and that Komatsu is asking him to participate in a scam that will very likely cause them both a great deal of trouble. Why does he agree to do it?

8. How does rewriting Air Chrysalis change Tengo as a writer? How does it affect the course of his life?

9. How do the events that occur on the night of the huge thunderstorm alter the fates of Aomame, Tengo, Fuka-Eri, and the dowager? Why do Aomame and the dowager let go of their anger after the storm?

10. At first, Ushikawa is a creepy, totally unlikable character. How does Murakami make him more sympathetic as the novel progresses? How do you respond to his death?

11. Near the end of the novel, Aomame declares: “From now on, things will be different. Nobody else’s will is going to control me anymore. From now on, I’m going to do things based on one principle alone: my own will” (p. 885). How does Aomame arrive at such a firm resolve? In what ways is the novel about overcoming the feeling of powerlessness that at various times paralyzes Aomame, Ayumi, Tengo, Fuka-Eri, and all the women who are abused by their husbands? What enables Aomame to come into her own power?

12. What does the novel as a whole seem to say about fringe religious groups? How does growing up in the Society of Witnesses affect Aomame? How does growing up in Sakigake cult affect Fuka-Eri? Does Leader appear to be a true spiritual master?

13. What is the appeal of the fantastic elements in the novel—the little people, maza and dohta, the air chrysalis, two moons in the sky, alternate worlds, etc.? What do they add to the story? In what ways does the novel question the nature of reality and the boundaries between what is possible and not possible?

14. What makes the love story of Tengo and Aomame so compelling? What obstacles must they overcome to be together? Why was the moment when Aomame grasped Tengo’s hand in grade school so significant?

15. In what ways does 1Q84 question and complicate conventional ideas of authorship? How does it blur the line between fictional reality and ordinary reality?

16. References to the song “Paper Moon” appear several times in the novel. How do those lyrics relate to 1Q84?

17. What role does belief play in the novel? Why does Murakami end the book with the image of Tengo and Aomame gazing at the moon until it becomes “nothing more than a gray paper moon, hanging in the sky” (p. 925)?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

List of potential reads

LitLovers has a list of the Book Club Books under the headings

New Books to Watch — new or recent releases
LitLovers Top 50 — over the past month
All-time Favorites — books we turn to over and over

The Kulture Klub's book suggestion page will remain open permanently. We're always looking for good suggestions so we can see what's coming up.

IQ84 Parts I, II and III

A young woman named Aomame realises she is a parallel world, which she calls 1Q84. 

According to goodreads, IQ84 is a love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

They give it 4 stars. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Klub members should have read all three books by 31 Jan 2013 and discussion will start soon after. I suspect we'll have better luck with the discussion questions on this one. I'll set up the discussion post closer to the due date.

White Masai - Discussion

I'm looking for good discussion questions but here's a few to kick us off:

Was her husband a Masai or a Samburu? Is the use of these two terms interchangeably by the author a marketing ploy?

The book is written in first person and as such is completely from the author’s viewpoint. How do you think this has impacted the objectivity of her description of events?

I’ll search the web for some more discussion questions today but I do have a big one... just how frigging dumb is this woman?