Author: Haruki Murakami
Original title: スプートニクの恋人, Supūtoniku no Koibito
Genres: Novel, Fiction, Speculative fiction
Translator: Philip Gabriel
Country: Japan
Languaje: Japanese
Publisher: Kōdansha
Publication date: 1999
Pages: 229
ISBN: 1-86046-825-X
Plot:
“K.”, falls in love with his best friend Sumire. But devotion to an untidy writerly life precludes her from any personal commitments until she meets Miu, an older and much more sophisticated business woman. When Sumire disappears from an island off the coast of Greece, “K” is solicited to join the search party and finds himself drawn back into her world and beset by ominous, haunting visions. A love story combined with a detective story, Sputnik Sweetheart ultimately lingers in the mind as a profound meditation on human longing.
Characters:
- K.: He’s an elementary school teacher who’s only close to Sumire, who he met in college. He loves her, and knows she won’t ever love him.
- Sumire: College drop out and aspiring novelist, she is a 22-year-old woman who lives a messy life, devoted to writing and without schedules, until she meets Miu and falls in love with her.
- Miu: An elegant, 40-year-old woman. She is unable of feeling sexual attraction, and has completely white hair. These are both consecuences of a traumatic even that happened 14 years ago.