This morning, I wrote and edited another chapter to The Valiants. It was the quickest I’d written a chapter, so, as a reward, I did a little light reading on Wikipedia. I was reading up on The Walking Dead (probably my all-time favorite TV show) as well as the cast. I started reading about Steven Yeun, who played the character Glenn Rhee on the show, and the films he’s starred in, mostly from South Korea. Out of curiosity, I clicked to read about one of them, Burning. To my surprise, I found out that it was based on The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami. I was introduced to Murakami several years ago by a South Korean ex-girlfriend by way of a film based on his novel Norwegian Wood, set in 1960s Japan. I loved Murakami’s method of really being in touch with his characters, and knew the actual novel had to be better. I checked the audiobook from the library, and boy, I was not disappointed. After Norwegian Wood, I checked out After Dark, this time set in modern day Tokyo, following one night in a set of different characters whose lives intertwine. Murakami is a modern-day Dickens, and I’m forever thankful to that ex who introduced me to his work. I had my stroke shortly after After Dark and forgot about Murakami. Thankfully, I rediscovered him, and all because of a little trip down the rabbit hole…
