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I gave this novel by Haruki Murakami a try. I'm not sure that I understand the ending. Has Mr. Murakami's Mother actually died? I noticed that the print was much smaller on the last page. What do you think?

I was definitely very surprised by the emotional turn that the ending took and was left to ponder if the protagonist's experiences in the library somehow had somehow been the cause of the mother's death. Definitely a head-scratcher.

I thought the small type and lack of imagery/artwork on the final page indicated that what came before had been a sort of nightmarish fantasy the protagonist had constructed as a way of dealing with the even harsher reality of his mother's death.

Shane (message 3)It looks like we're on the same page here thinking that his Mother's death has taken place.

Shane, I agree with you - I got the sense that the story was some strange dream where he is trying to get back to his mother, and at the end we find out why, albeit abruptly. It was like it was the first chapter of a novel that would otherwise be far more realistic, another of Murakami's unsatisfied young men but far from knowing what to look for, although the girl, the Sheepman, and the library would make additional appearances.

Completely absorbing short story. A boy in peril, a monster (actually two) and two friends; one a girl of course, the other a guide and the "thought" of his worried mother serve to be the boys salvation. All a master like Murakami needs to express love, loss and pay tribute to what gives life. Mother and books! Do we really need to know anything else?