An interesting little surreal slice-of-life story.

I'm a big fan of Mr Murakami and this one has his style; a very visual and quick read, at times coming off more like a treatment for a film complete with camera movements and audience reaction. A handful of interesting characters sharing the stage as their nighttime lives intersect ... my only real complaint is that some (all?) of the character arcs seem to be left to the reader to interpret. Obviously, this could be the whole point -- that people are like ships passing in the night, and we rarely ever find out what happens to the random strangers we come across -- but it's a minor pet peeve of mine when there's so much character development with little true pay off.

That said, I'd still recommend it. Perfect for an airplane ride or passing time during a graveyard shift or otherwise sleepless night.