# 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

4 Hacker News commenters recommended 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for the lasting mood it leaves behind, even when plot details fade. The most common caveat is that its long time commitment could be spent on shorter Murakami books.

## Why people recommend it

- Lingering feeling stays after plot fades (2 comments): "I couldn't tell you a single plot point from 1Q84, but I remember the feeling of reading it very clearly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909783)) "It left a very light and magical impression on me in high school" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907850))
- Long, immersive multi-year reading experience (1 comments): "1Q84 has been a multi-year odyssey." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49598529))

## What people warn about

- Plot details are hard to remember (1 comments): "I couldn't tell you a single plot point from 1Q84, but I remember the feeling of reading it very clearly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909783))
- Other Murakami books give more for time (1 comments): "you could read like four better Murakami books for the same time investment" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599791))
- Very long time commitment to finish (1 comments): "1Q84 has been a multi-year odyssey." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49598529))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307476464?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780307476463) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "1Q84 by Haruki Murakami", https://hackerapproved.com/p/1q84/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).