What We Are Reading Today: ‘The City and Its Uncertain Walls’

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Updated 11 March 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The City and Its Uncertain Walls’

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  • The novel invites readers to engage with complex themes, making it impossible to summarize in a straightforward way

Author: Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami’s novel “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” with an English translation by Philip Gabriel, is a mesmerizing journey into the complexities of human emotions, memory and the elusive nature of reality.

As I delved into its pages, I found myself drawn into a world that felt both familiar and strangely distant, echoing the sentiments of my own life experiences.

The 2024 novel revolves around a nameless protagonist who navigates the labyrinthine streets of a city that is both vibrant and haunting. Murakami’s signature blend of magical realism and profound introspection creates a narrative that challenges the reader to ponder the walls we build around ourselves — both physically and emotionally.

The city serves as a character in its own right, with its “uncertain walls” symbolizing the barriers we erect to protect ourselves from pain and vulnerability.

Interestingly, the story has its roots in a short story published by Murakami in 1980, also titled “The City and Its Uncertain Walls.” The writer has expressed that he felt he could never let go of that initial narrative, which drove him to expand it into this larger, more fulfilling work.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is Murakami’s ability to evoke a sense of loneliness amid the bustling cityscape. As I read, I was reminded of my own moments of isolation, even in crowded spaces.

The protagonist’s encounters with various individuals — each grappling with their own fears and desires — resonated deeply with me. It made me reflect on the connections we seek and the disconnections we often experience in modern life.

The novel invites readers to engage with complex themes, making it impossible to summarize in a straightforward way. It led me to compare it to “1Q84,” one of my favorite Murakami novels, which also delves into parallel universes and unconventional love stories. However, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” leans more toward philosophical exploration, prompting contemplation about reality and self.

The narrative unfolds in three parts, beginning with a young love story reminiscent of classic fantasy, where a boy searches for a girl who has mysteriously vanished. The first part conjures images of a medieval world, complete with castles and guards, which initially felt disconnected from my expectations of Murakami’s style.

The second part washes over the reader like a wave of melancholic familiarity, anchoring us back to the essence of Murakami’s storytelling.

In conclusion, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” is more than just a novel; it is an exploration of the human condition. Murakami’s ability to capture the essence of solitude and connection left a lasting impression on me.

The book is a testament to the power of storytelling, inviting readers to reflect on their own lives while navigating the uncertain walls we all confront. I emerged from its pages with a renewed appreciation for the beauty and complexity of existence.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘King Leopold’s Ghostwriter’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘King Leopold’s Ghostwriter’
Updated 08 May 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘King Leopold’s Ghostwriter’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘King Leopold’s Ghostwriter’

Author: Andrew Fitzmaurice

Eminent jurist, Oxford professor, advocate to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Travers Twiss (1809–1897) was a model establishment figure in Victorian Britain, and a close collaborator of Prince Metternich, the architect of the Concert of Europe.

Yet Twiss’s life was defined by two events that threatened to undermine the order that he had so stoutly defended: a notorious social scandal and the creation of the Congo Free State.

In “King Leopold’s Ghostwriter,” Andrew Fitzmaurice tells the incredible story of a man who, driven by personal events that transformed him from a reactionary to a reformer, rewrote and liberalized international law—yet did so in service of the most brutal regime of the colonial era.

In an elaborate deception, Twiss and Pharaïlde van Lynseele, a Belgian prostitute, sought to reinvent her as a woman of suitably noble birth to be his wife. Their subterfuge collapsed when another former client publicly denounced van Lynseele.


Book Review: ‘Oil Leaders’ by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna

Book Review: ‘Oil Leaders’ by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna
Updated 08 May 2025
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Book Review: ‘Oil Leaders’ by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna

Book Review: ‘Oil Leaders’ by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna’s book, “Oil Leaders: An Insider’s Account of Four Decades of Saudi Arabia and OPEC’s Global Energy Policy,” offers a detailed narrative of the oil industry’s evolution from a Saudi perspective, drawing on the author’s four decades of experience.

Published in 2022, the book coincides with global energy crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Al-Muhanna relies on data from OPEC, the International Energy Agency and interviews to provide an anecdotal biography of key figures who shaped oil politics, targeting a broad audience including policymakers, researchers and industry professionals.

The book is divided into 11 chapters, beginning with the influential role of Saudi Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani, whose overconfidence and perceived indispensability are critically examined.

Subsequent chapters highlight other pivotal figures, such as Hisham Nazer, Yamani’s successor, and delve into events such as the 1991 Gulf War.

The narrative also covers Luis Giusti, of Venezuela’s PDVSA, whose disregard for OPEC quotas sparked tensions, and discusses OPEC’s struggles with production cuts and falling oil prices in the late 1990s, which led to economic crises in oil-exporting nations such as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Al-Muhanna explores the political ramifications of oil price fluctuations, noting how high prices influenced US presidential elections and shaped diplomatic interactions, such as George W. Bush’s visit to Riyadh.

The book also examines the rise of Russia under Vladimir Putin, the privatization of Saudi Aramco as part of Vision 2030, and the roles of contemporary leaders such as Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and former US President Joe Biden in shaping global energy policy.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Africa’s Buildings’ by Itohan I. Osayimwse

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Africa’s Buildings’ by Itohan I. Osayimwse
Updated 07 May 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Africa’s Buildings’ by Itohan I. Osayimwse

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Africa’s Buildings’ by Itohan I. Osayimwse

Between the 19th century and today, colonial officials, collectors, and anthropologists dismembered African buildings and dispersed their parts to museums in Europe and the United States.

Most of these artifacts were cataloged as ornamental art objects, which erased their intended functions, and the removal of these objects often had catastrophic consequences for the original structures.

“Africa’s Buildings” traces the history of the collection and distribution of African architectural fragments, documenting the brutality of the colonial regimes that looted Africa’s buildings.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Birds at Rest’ by Roger Pasquier

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Birds at Rest’ by Roger Pasquier
Updated 06 May 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Birds at Rest’ by Roger Pasquier

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Birds at Rest’ by Roger Pasquier

“Birds at Rest” is the first book to give a full picture of how birds rest, roost, and sleep, a vital part of their lives.

It features new science that can measure what is happening in a bird’s brain over the course of a night or when it has flown to another hemisphere, as well as still-valuable observations by legendary naturalists such as John James Audubon, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Theodore Roosevelt. Much of what they saw and what ornithologists are studying today can be observed and enjoyed by any birder.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Art and Craft of Doing Science’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Art and  Craft of Doing Science’
Updated 05 May 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Art and Craft of Doing Science’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Art and  Craft of Doing Science’

Author: Kenneth Catania 

Like any creative endeavor, science can be a messy and chaotic affair.

“On the Art and Craft of Doing Science” shares the creative process of an innovative and accomplished scientist, taking readers behind the scenes of some of his most pioneering investigations and explaining why the practice of science, far from being an orderly exercise in pure logic, is a form of creative expression like any other art.

Kenneth Catania begins by discussing how ideas set the stage for scientific breakthroughs and goes on to describe ways to approach experimental design.