Goodreads Blurb:
Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, an ice man, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami's characters confront loss, or sexuality, or the glow of a firefly, or the impossible distance between those who ought to be closest of all.
My Review:
I picked up this book, thinking how many good things I'd heard about Murakami's other books. What I got was a fantastical, and weird, series of short stories.
Welcome to the unexpected! A few of the stories struck me as quite profound. but I'm afraid to admit that I found most of them quite baffling. None of them were rounded off in the style of western-sensibilities.
The narratives were well-written and in several cases I became quite interested in the characters. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to let these stories develop and I often found the endings unsatisfactory.
I kept feeling that I should enjoy this book, but it just didn't do it for me. If you want something different then try this book, if not don't bother.
