“No matter how far they travel, men without women are incomplete.”
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami is a collection of seven short stories exploring loneliness, love, and the absence of women in men’s lives. Each story delves into the emotional voids left by lost relationships, blending realism with Murakami’s signature surrealism.
Drive My Car
A middle-aged actor, Kafuku, hires a reserved female chauffeur after losing his eyesight to glaucoma. As they drive, he reflects on his late wife’s infidelity and his unresolved grief. The story examines how people cope with betrayal and the masks they wear.
Yesterday
Kitaru, a Tokyo student, asks his friend to date his girlfriend, Tanimura, while he moves to Osaka. The bizarre request reveals Kitaru’s insecurities and the fragility of relationships. The story explores unrequited love and the blurred lines between friendship and romance.
An Independent Organ
A plastic surgeon, Dr. Tokai, falls in love repeatedly but avoids commitment. When a woman leaves him, he starves himself to death, revealing his inability to live without love. The story dissects emotional dependency and the illusion of self-sufficiency.
Scheherazade
A man confined to his home receives mysterious visits from a woman who tells him stories—including one about her teenage obsession with a classmate. The tale mirrors the Arabian Nights, blurring reality and fiction while examining memory and desire.
Kino
After discovering his wife’s affair, Kino opens a bar and lives in solitude. A mysterious customer and a venomous snake disrupt his isolation, forcing him to confront his suppressed emotions. The story is a metaphor for the dangers of emotional repression.
Samsa in Love
A surreal reimagining of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, where Gregor Samsa wakes as a human, falling in love with a hunchbacked woman. Murakami reverses Kafka’s premise, exploring love and transformation in a war-torn world.
Men Without Women
A man receives a call informing him that his ex-lover has committed suicide. He reflects on their past and the women who shaped his life, realizing how their absence defines him. The story closes the collection with a meditation on loss and identity.
Key Ideas
- Loneliness as a defining human experience
- The impact of women’s absence on men’s lives
- Blurred boundaries between reality and dreams
- Betrayal and unresolved grief
- Emotional dependency versus independence
Who should read this book?
- Fans of Murakami’s introspective, surreal storytelling
- Readers drawn to explorations of love and loneliness
- Those who appreciate melancholic yet philosophical fiction