Another Murakami book which rapidly became one of my favourite books. This one starts, as Murakami's books sometimes do, with a laid-back former-smoker divorced guy in his 30s who is leading an ordinary life and stumbles into a strange world during what should have been a normal work day.

At the same time, alternating chapters discuss a person in a strange remote village, a surreal place where everything seems inevitable and subdued.

The book's magic is in how the adventures in this world (Tokyo) are shown to be linked to what is happening in the surreal village. The strands come together in a very interesting way.

Murakami does his usual excellent job of blending magical elements with ordinary life. The story is also nicely enhanced by an interesting musical soundtrack which accompanies the thoughts of the main character.