This is one I’ve been meaning to read for a while. It’s always on those ‘good book’ lists so I thought I should give it a go. This was the one that propelled Murakami to success. I must say, it was a bit meh in my opinion. The characters are frankly odd. They are not realistic in any way. Exaggerated they may be, it’s possible I suppose that this is not necessarily a bad thing in a novel. But I don’t think it added anything really. It just plugged the gaps in what was a fairly dull story. Well written I suppose and flowed reasonably well but overall, dated and dull. One think I do like in his style is his attention to mundane every day detail – for example, he showered, brewed himself a coffee and then went for a short walk before hanging out his washing upon his return. Might sound odd but that concise summary of an ordinary morning is strangely therapeutic and minimalist. This is something I also noticed in Killing Commandatore, a book I much preferred.