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The Elephant Vanishes

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A dizzying short-story collection that displays Murakami's genius for uncovering the surreal in the everyday, the extraordinary within the ordinary. Featuring the story 'Barn Burning', the inspiration behind the Palme d'Or-nominated film Burning.

When a man's favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset. A couple's midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald's. A woman finds she is irresistible to a small green monster that burrows through her front garden. An insomniac wife wakes up in a twilight world of semi-consciousness in which anything seems possible - even death.

In every one of these stories Murakami makes a determined assault on the normal.

©1993 Haruki Murakami (P)2020 Penguin Audio Absurdist Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories Elephant
All stars
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Some weird and wacky stuff to enjoy in here but some I literally fell asleep to

Hit and miss

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Reminiscent of R A Lafferty in places, a nice collection of short stories in the usual mystical Haruki Murakami style. Well narrated, too. Very enjoyable.

Fabulous

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Great book , fantastic narration he is a brilliant writer , read so many books by Murakami all so good .

Elephant Vanishes

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I have always enjoyed reading Murakami, but ‘the elephant vanishes’ is utterly meaningless and boring. How can the author and publisher publish something like this. Is it greed? I will think twice before I read another Murakami!
/Susanne

So disappointing

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