The quality most shared by 1Q84’s three perspective characters is a profound sense of loneliness. More than that, the three characters have been lonely for so long that they become fully accustomed to feeling this way, hamstringing efforts to overcome that loneliness. The lack of parental love Aomame received as the daughter of Society of Witnesses members, combined with her outcast status at school as a religious zealot, make her feel most comfortable when she is alone. Only two times in adulthood does she open herself up to female friendship, and those two friends die violent deaths—Tamaki by suicide to escape an abusive husband and Ayumi by strangulation by a presumed male sex partner.

Before and shortly after entering 1Q84, Aomame copes with this loneliness by treating sex as nothing more than a physical need—a valve to be released at regular intervals with men whom she has no interest in beyond a single evening. Meanwhile, the only emotion she affords herself is her love for Tengo, a person she hasn’t since they were children. This is a convenient coping mechanism, given that there is little chance they will ever cross paths again.