This is a book sorely in need of an editor. It reminds me of the narrative flabbiness of the Harry Potter books after book 3. Once writers become famous, it seems that editors become more timid with their editing. I skipped entire chapters in the second half of the book without losing much in the way of plot. This is a bad sign.

The story itself is a bit flimsy and didn't really interest me. I really enjoy Murakami's writing style ( through his translator), so I powered through as well as I could, but I definitely lost interest by about page 600. The story just felt stalled.

This is my first full-length Murakami novel, which I understand to be a bad place to start, but it was the first title available at the library. Murakami still intrigues me, bit I'd recommend skipping this doorstop of a novel.