"Sputnik sweetheart"

I've just finished reading "Sputnik sweetheart" by Murakami yesterday. Needless to say that I read this book within 3 days and that the last night after finishing the book I slept very badly.

In General

I was a little bit disappointed in this book because the love story between Miu and Sumire was not well developed. By "not well developed" I mean that there was less about their relationship than about the author's thoughts/feelings/story. And I purchased this book only coz of Miu and Sumire. I want to add that it was the first book in a long long time that I actually enjoyed reading and was fascinated by. I was even reading it at work and read it in two languages - Russian and English.

Sumire and Miu

Sumire's love to Miu reminded me about myself, about my feelings towards older women, who are sophisticated, beautiful, confident. I have one at the moment as well. I just admire her. I don't know her very well, but there is just something about her, something intriguing and I wish I could get to know her better. I think that she suspects the way I feel about her and it scares her. I just can't help it. When I was reading Sumire's desires about Miu I was thinking about my "sputnik" and I might even give her this book after I leave...If I do, I will definitely write in the book that she is actually my "sputnik"...

Main character

Anyways, about the main character (strange but can't remember his name). I never actually believed that men can fall in love with women without having sex with them, and fall in love the way he did - he'd do anything for her, was letting her call him in the middle of the night, and listened to her endless conversations. Also the good point that I understood from this book is that men can have sex just for sex with different women when they love only one.

End

The end was rather strange. I loved the phone talk, so tender, so close, so caring, so mysterious. It is still not certain what happened to the characters...but as I think Sumire died..but she died just like her cat - for some strange reason I think she was on a tree...she climbed on a high tree just like her cat...and died there. I would be very happy for her if it was really possible to enter the other world anyhow and she could be with another Miu. With that Miu who could love her. If she died I am sure she did enter the other world...

Miu - I think that she finally accepted what happened to her - that's why she stopped dying her hair black after she came back to Japan. I think that what happened to her with Fernandino - happened for real, it was an impulsive decision of her and she was regretting about what she'd done and felt disgusted by it. The thought about it the following day and it seemed to her like if it had never happened. 

The author - I think the last conversation he had with Sumire was in his dreams...and after that he jumped out of the window...I think he did it because she said to him that he was the only one for her...and since she was in the other world..he decided to finally join her...and I am sure they met.

It was my first Murakami's book and I can't wait to read another one. Well done, Murakami!