Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

 This is also one of the shorter Murakami novels, although he mostly writes very long ones, like his last one Killing Commendatore.  At around 200 pages it is just a little bit longer than After Dark, which was so far the shortest novel I read by Murakami.  Sputnik is related to the Russian satellite, but also on mispronunciation of Beatnik by Miu, the love interest of Sumire, a college-age girl who realizes she is a lesbian, or at least in love with an adult women, as Miu is near 40, if the two can be equalized.

 The unnamed narrator in first person, as usual with Murakami, at least we have the first letter of his name - K, tells the story of the book, mostly about his unrequited love for Sumire.  They went to college together and although K became a teacher, a reasonable job with a future, Sumire dropped out and wanted to become a writer, living in a tiny old apartment, with nearly no possessions or clothing or food.  Sumire calls K on the phone almost every night at 3am and they talk until the morning.  K wants Sumire sexually and romantically, but she has never shown any sign of such interest in him, only platonic, though thorough friendship.

Sumire falls in love with Miu, who is Zainichi Korean, which is significant for those who know the background.  They travel around the world, K wondering how to come physically closer to Sumire (while sleeping with other women), while Sumire wondering how to start a physical relationship with Miu, who in turn had something unnatural happen to her 14 years ago which left her with her hair all white and unable to have sexual desire or physical sex. 

The novel is about loneliness and the transformation of that loneliness into something less painful.  Loneliness can be present even when one is surrounded by other people and doing all the social activities and relationships a "normal" human is expected to be doing.  

Sumire eventually disappears on a small Greek island the night after she makes a physical advance towards Mui whose body rejects her.  K goes to the island to help Mui where she tells him her story and Sumire's story while they were together. Nobody can find Sumire or her body anywhere and eventually both K and Miu go back to Japan.

The book emphasizes that even when great events and great pain and loss happens in people's life, eventually they still go to the everyday routine and try to forget or ignore the pain as best they can, looking outwardly normal and well-adapted.