Sputnik Sweetheart

Sputnik Sweetheart (Japanese: スプートニクの恋人, Supuutoniku no koibito) is a novel by Haruki Murakami, published in Japan in 1999. An English translation by Philip Gabriel was published in 2001.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Novel - Haruki Murakami - Japan - 1999 - Philip Gabriel - 2001

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Sputnik Sweetheart is essentially a three-character novel. Uncharacteristically slim for a Murakami novel, it is the first novel in which Murakami explores lesbianism in depth, though the principal themes are still familiar ones to the Japanese author's faithful following: the effects of prolonged loneliness and alienation, growing up emotionally stunted in a densely populated and overwhelmingly conformist society, and the conflict between following one's dreams and clamping down on them in order to assimilate into society.

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The heroine of the novel is an aspiring authoress named Sumire, who falls in love with an older woman, Miu, who appears to like Sumire for certain qualities, though she has no time for Sumire's aspirations and ideals. The third character is the unnamed narrator, an elementary school teacher, referred to once by Sumire only as 'K', who is in love with Sumire, though of course Sumire, being a lesbian, does not requit his feelings.

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The book's major themes include loneliness and people's inability to truly know themselves or their lovers. This is symbolized by the recurring metaphor of the Sputnik satellites orbiting at a distance from the earth. There is a strong suggestion that supernatural events take place during the story.

Related Topics:
Sputnik - Supernatural

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Many elements of the plot remain deliberately unresolved, contributing to the idea that true knowledge is elusive, and obscuring the actual events of the story in favour of the characters' perceptions.

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