MURaKAMI - 1Q84
Aomame stepped out of the cab, gripping the strap of her large leather shoulder bag.
The applause was still going. She started walking carefully along the left edge of the elevated road toward the emergency turnout some ten meters ahead. Each time a large truck roared by on the opposite side, she felt the surface of the road shake or, rather, undulate through her high heels, as if she were walking on the deck of an aircraft carrier on a stormy sea.
MURAKAMI - 1Q84
They knit their brows and squinted as if looking at a too-bright object but seemed to have temporarily suspended all judgment.
For someone to be walking on the Metropolitan Expressway was by no means an everyday event, with or without the usual flow of traffic, so it took them some time to process the sight as an actual occurrence all the more so because the walker was a young woman in high heels and a miniskirt.
MURAKAMI - 1Q84
Her firmly closed lips only formed a smile when absolutely necessary.
Her eyes had the cool, vigilant stare of a superior deck officer. Thanks to these features, no one ever had a vivid impression of her face. She attracted attention not so much because of the qualities of her features but rather because of the naturalness and grace with which her expression moved.
MURAKAMI - 1Q84
A detailed examination of her face from the front would reveal that the size and shape of her ears were significantly different, the left one much bigger and malformed. No one ever noticed this, however, because her hair nearly always covered her ears. Her lips formed a tight straight line, suggesting that she was not easily approachable.
MURAKAMI - 1Q84
Aomame pulled in her chin, kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, her back straight, and her pace steady.
Her chestnut-colored Charles Jourdan heels clicked against the road’s surface, and the skirts of her coat waved in the breeze. April had begun, but there was still a chill in the air and a hint of roughness to come.
MURAKAMI -1Q84
In that sense, Aomame resembled an insect skilled at biological mimicry.
What she most wanted was to blend in with her background by changing color and shape, to remain inconspicuous and not easily remembered. This was how she had protected herself since childhood.
