Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami

The debut short novels--nearly thirty years out of print-- by the internationally acclaimed writer, newly retranslated and in one English-language volume for the first time, with a new introduction by the author. 

These first major works of fiction by Haruki Murakami center on two young men--an unnamed narrator and his friend and former roommate, the Rat. Powerful, at times surreal, stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism, these novellas bear all the hallmarks of Murakami's later books, giving us a fascinating insight into a great writer's beginnings, and are remarkable works of fiction in their own right. Here too is an exclusive essay by Murakami in which he explores and explains his decision to become a writer. Prequels to the much-beloved classics A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance, these early works are essential reading for Murakami completists and contemporary fiction lovers alike. 

Goodreads.com description

Wind/Pinball is made up of the first two short novels Japanese author, Haruki Murakami wrote: Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973. No more than 125 pages each, both novels serve as a quick peek into the developmental stages of Murakami’s style. I’ve been a fan of Haruki Murakami ever since picking up the first novel I read by him, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and I appreciated reading some of his earlier work.

In Hear the Wind Sing, an unnamed narrator is home from college on summer break. He spends a lot of his time at a local pub called J’s Bar, listening to music and drinking – sometimes to the verge of alcohol poisoning – with his wealthy friend, “The Rat.” The narrator also tells about the women he’s been with, including a woman with only nine fingers.

Pinball, 1973 switches between the unnamed narrator, now out of college and working as a translator, and The Rat. The narrator lives with a pair of twin girls who are indistinguishable outside of the sweaters they wear (one has 208 printed on it, the other 209). He becomes obsessed with tracking down a spaceship pinball machine he used to play in college. The Rat is depressed and on the verge of leaving town. He struggles to break the news to his only acquaintance, the bartender at J’s.

Both novels - or novellas - are less plot and more character and journey driven. They may have limited appeal to anyone unfamiliar with Murakami’s work, but I’d still recommend Wind/Pinball for a good quick read.