## Metadata - Author: [[Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin, and Philip Gabriel]] - Full Title: 1Q84 - Category: #books ## Highlights - “When I’m writing a story, I use words to transform the surrounding scene into something more natural for me. In other words, I reconstruct it. That way, I can confirm without a doubt that this person known as ‘me’ exists in the world. ([Location 1141](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=1141)) - That’s what the world is, after all: an endless battle of contrasting memories.” ([Location 7059](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=7059)) - Their relationship was an unusual one for Tengo. He had never been able to feel very close to many women. In fact, most women—whether he was in a sexual relationship with them or not—made Tengo feel uncomfortable. And in order to curb that discomfort, Tengo had to fence off a certain territory inside himself. In other words, he had to keep certain rooms in his heart locked tight. With Kyoko Yasuda, however, such complex operations were unnecessary. First of all, she seemed to grasp exactly what Tengo wanted and what he did not want. And so Tengo counted himself lucky that they had happened to find each other. ([Location 9112](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=9112)) - “I can’t think of anything I particularly want.” “How about Proust’s In Search of Lost Time?” Tamaru asked. “If you’ve never read it this would be a good opportunity to read the whole thing.” “Have you read it?” “No, I’ve never been in jail, or had to hide out for a long time. Someone once said unless you have those kinds of opportunities, you can’t read the whole of Proust.” “Do you know anybody who has read the whole thing?” “I’ve known some people who have spent a long period in jail, but none were the type to be interested in Proust.” ([Location 14520](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=14520)) - The clouds continued to scud off toward the south. No matter how many were blown away, others appeared to take their place. There was an inexhaustible source of clouds in some land far to the north. Decisive people, minds fixed on the task, clothed in thick, gray uniforms, working silently from morning to night to make clouds, like bees make honey, spiders make webs, and war makes widows. ([Location 17728](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=17728)) - Ushikawa always saw himself as a realist, and he actually was. Metaphysical speculation wasn’t his thing. If something really existed, you had to accept it as a reality, whether or not it made sense or was logical. That was his basic way of thinking. Principles and logic didn’t give birth to reality. Reality came first, and the principles and logic followed. ([Location 19976](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=19976)) - It was such a long time, Aomame thought. It was such a long time, Tengo thought too. At the same time, though, he noticed how the twenty years that had passed now held no substance. It had all passed by in an instant, and took but an instant to be filled in. ([Location 21471](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004LROUW2&location=21471))