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Haruki Murakami. Sputnik Sweetheart Philip Gabriel, tr. New York. Knopf. 2001 210 pages. $23. ISBN 0-375-41169-0
SINCE HIS 1979 DEBUT, Murakami Haruki (b. 1949) has persistently pursued the twin themes of alienation and loneliness in postmodern life. Sputnik Sweetheart (orig. Sputoniku no koibito, 1999) is no exception. Like the Sputnik lost in outer space, the characters in this story are lost souls incapable of meaningful relationships with others.
The protagonist K, for instance, is sexually attracted to an aspiring writer, Sun-tire. Since she has no romantic feelings for him, however, he resorts to passionless sex with other women, including the mother of his student. Sumire is deeply in love with Miu, a Japan-born Korean woman seventeen years her senior. Incapable of responding sexually to Sumire, Miu hires her as her...