Deal Me In Challenge: A Perfect Day for Kangaroos by Haruki Murakami

Card Drawn:

Baby Joey is a little shy.

Sweet, another diamond card and that means another story by Murakami! 

In the realist tradition, if the short story writer's task is to capture a glimpse, an impression, a slice-of-life or snapshot of "life in the moment," then Murakami succeeds in "A Perfect Day for Kangaroos." However, whether or not the author is able to transform this pared-down verisimilitude of reality into something significant is debatable. The very shortness of the form itself means that a certain economy of style is required that does not allow for detailed explanations. Although Murakami is experimenting with minimalism here, my main gripe with this particular story is that it feels too sparse, too understated and elliptical in its condensed form. Nonetheless, the stylistic execution is on point with the use of direct language and crisp prose making this a delightfully quick read. The story's title is likely an allusion to J.D. Salinger's excellent short-story of a similar name, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" but that is where the similarities end.

The premise is quite simple. A couple visits a zoo to see a baby kangaroo and the girlfriend is disappointed that the cute baby joey is not hanging out in it's mother's pouch. They observe the kangaroos in their cage, talk about kangaroos for a bit, eat some hot-dogs, do some more kangaroo watching and eventually leave to grab some beers. The end. Seriously, this is all that happens and it all feels slightly trivial. The driving action and underlying tension of the story is whether or not they get to see this magical moment between mother and baby kangaroo but the dilemma is so slight, so meager as to be rendered superfluous. Murakami chooses to only offer a brief glimpse into this couple's relationship entirely through dialogue and it is difficult to extract any discernible insight into their dynamic or personal history. Perhaps the subtleties were lost on me but I am not sure what else we are expected to take away from this story.