I just finished Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End Of The World. I can't say I enjoyed it too much, although the fact that I read it quickly says something about it's quality. It's more of a genre piece than I usually read, splitting its time between cyberpunk and fantasy. My interest in these genres is kind of nonexistent. This isn't to say that's all there is, and the other stuff that is there is what I found myself more attached to. Although at the same time: Some of those things are themes that are at least kind of addressed in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Well, one theme is shared: Split worlds and fictional realities. It's explored more in Hard-Boiled Wonderland, but more vaguely defined in Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I can't really recommend it. Which is weird: I expected to like it more, as the more weird and fantastic elements in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle are what I responded to. Although perhaps I was responding to the contrast and dichotomy of that with the reality presented in that novel. I don't know how I'd respond to a piece like Norwegian Wood, which is supposedly completely grounded and goes for being emotionally affecting rather than being a novel of ideas. I might get around to reading that at some point. For now, my flirtation with Murakami is over, although Wind-Up Bird Chronicle remains really fucking good.