1Q84, the latest novel from Japanese sensation Haruki Murakami, transports readers back to 1984 — or at least a phantasmagoric version of that year. He presents a world beset by a series of murders and disappearances, a menacing sect called the Sakigake, and free-floating evil forces. But was the real year 1984 really that much less surreal? After some investigation, we found the narratives to be remarkably similar.

Fill in the blanks below with all the words and phrases from either the book or the year.

A begins when a persuasive authority figure gives B the gift of C, a gadget that will have unforeseen consequences. D, a comely one-named artist, uses her sex appeal to attract the world’s attention, despite the fact that she didn’t write her own E. A shifty religious leader — whose F appear less than pious — is felled by a sex scandal. G, a freak meterological event, takes the world by storm. Observers, struggling to explain chaotic and malign events, turn to H, who may as well be the year’s patron saint.