Writing With A Knife

In Part 2, Sonia and Abhishek dive deeper into Kafuku's mindset and the purpose of Misaki's character. Murakami's writing in Drive My Car juxtaposes these two characters in a way that one of them can learn from the other - the 'shifting of gears' being another sleek metaphor.

Possibly the most famous short story by Murakami, Drive My Car is a story about death and marriage. But, is it? The complexities of human nature tie in seamlessly with each other in this story and make the reader ponder upon the nature of companionship. In Part 1, Sonia analyses how the story builds up and what the protagonist's "blind spot" is supposed to signify.

Sonia and Abhishek discuss a short story by the man who revived short stories in America. The plot is this. A conversation ensues between two couples sitting around a table, drinking gin. They start talking about love. The story does the phenomenal job of exploring the theme of love without actually doing it. That, says Sonia, is brilliant writing. The story summons more characters, each one representing a different from of love. At first confusing, the ending of the story is a class in clever writing.

We discuss a short story by Murakami about truth & identity. Sonia unpeels the several subtle layers that Murakami beautifully woven together in this surreal tale. Abhishek asks Sonia how the various elements in this story add up and her unpacking of Murakami's writing reveals a lot. We come closer to understanding the unique genre of Magical Realism that Murakami is known for.

Sonia talks about what compels her to write. She reveals a suprising secret - something which is true for all writers. We learn what comes out when writint becomes a deeply personal experience.

What do you think moves people to write and share stories?

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