Pinball, 1973 (1973年のピンボール) is a 1980 novel by Haruki Murakami. It is both his second novel and the second entry in his Trilogy of the Rat. It follows the unnamed narrator from Hear the Wind Sing and his exploits after college, focusing on his obsession with a pinball machine he once played. It also follows the Rat, who is facing the prospect of living an adult life and finding his place in the world. This novel is followed by A Wild Sheep Chase, and (via Trilogy Creep) Dance Dance Dance.
The novel contains examples of the following tropes:
- Age-Appropriate Angst: Both the narrator and the Rat go through their quarter life crises. The former struggles with the monotony of his working life and tries to recapture the joy he had when playing a pinball machine. The Rat realizes that he can't stay in the bar or in town forever, and that he needs to find his own place in the world. He eventually leaves town.
- The Alcoholic: The Rat, but he's toned down compared to his habits in the first book, to the point of him slowly sipping his final beer while telling J he's leaving town.
- The Bartender: J is still running the bar.
- Bittersweet Ending: The narrator finds the pinball machine, but only has a few fleeting moments with it before having to leave. The Rat breaks contact with the woman he's seeing, gives a somber sendoff to J, and leaves town in search of someplace new.
- Call-Forward: A possibly unintentional one for English readers,
most of whom are reading this for the first time in 2015. The narrator's former girlfriend, Naoko, shares the name and fate of a character in Norwegian Wood. Several of Murakami's typical themes - especially wells and cats - are introduced here as well. - Character Development: After two novels of angst, the Rat finally gets the nerve to leave the town behind and find his own place in the world.
- Coming of Age Story: For the Rat, who faces the prospect of adult life.
- Crack is Cheaper: It's easy to become obsessed with a game - or any hobby, for that matter - only to eventually burn yourself out. Also, not everyone shares your obsession, and most likely won't know or care what you're talking about. the Spaceship pinball machine is removed and promptly falls into obscurity, and the narrator has to track down a collector just for a chance to see it again.
- Creepy Twins: 208 and 209. They look and speak exactly the same, barely eat, have few clothes, and are vague on their origins. They inexplicably show up in the narrator's apartment, and he doesn't seem to care how utterly surreal they are.
- Driven to Suicide: Naoko. The narrator has been dealing with the loneliness ever since.
- Fictional Video Game: Spaceship, an extremely rare three-flipper pinball machine.
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences: The twins. The narrator doesn't seem to mind.
- Growing Up Sucks: A major theme of the novel. While its predecessor was about the transition from childhood to adulthood, this is more about dealing with the realities of adulthood, such as loneliness, happiness, finding a purpose, etc.
- Humble Goal: Visiting the train station and seeing the dog walking on the platform, which the narrator does four years after Naoko tells him about it. He does so as a way to mourn her.
- Finding the old Spaceship pinball machine. It turns out to be much more difficult than he thought it'd be.
- Idle Rich: The Rat, who lives in a fancy apartment while struggling to find something to do with his life.
- Lonely Rich Kid: The Rat, especially now that the narrator is hundreds of miles away.
- Magic Realism: The twins are never fully explained, and they definitely aren't normal.
- Mundane Made Awesome: The Spaceship pinball machine. Not only was the Rat obsessed with it back in the day, but the narrator practically treats it like an old, intense romance.
- Nameless Narrative: As usual with Murakami.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: The Rat and J, as usual.
- Personal Arcade: The only remaining Spaceship is now part of a collection of 78 restored machines, hidden in a warehouse somewhere in a field on the outskirts of Tokyo.
- Serious Business: Getting high scores on Spaceship. The Rat laments how he'll never be able to reach the skill of the machine repairman, and the narrator's all time record is 165,000. There's also the collector, who owns 78 pinball machines (including the only remaining Spaceship) and secretly stores them in an old warehouse.
- Single-Minded Twins: 208 and 209, though the narrator doesn't seem to care.
- Survivor Guilt: The narrator has hints of this as a result of Naoko's suicide.
- The Teetotaler: Ironically, J's body can't handle alcohol. He drinks Coke instead.
- You Are What You Hate: The Rat despises the rich, but comes from a wealthy family.
All things should have both an entrance and an exit. That's just the way it is.
