Reading 1Q84: The Case for Fiction in a Busy Life
This is from a wonderful essay on life, reading and parenthood, by Kevin Hartnett, written after reading Murakami’s 1Q84:
Later, after I’d left Jay’s room, I realized that while being a parent is tiring and sometimes boring, it also means that all I have to do is walk upstairs to experience a feeling that, like Aomame said, is akin to salvation. I also thought about all the hours I’d spent reading 1Q84, and suddenly it seemed clear why it had been a worthwhile way to spend my time: When life wears us down, great fiction gives us back our human shape.
Pretty neat, eh?
