I'm not sure if I find the story itself bittersweet, or if I feel it's a bittersweet novel because of how it made me feel once I reached the end. Murakami has created a story that is easy to relate to: he shows more than in any other work how vulnerable humans can be, how introspection works and influences how humans interact with the outside world. "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki..." is a depiction of how living inside one's mind can make or break that person's world.

I can truly say that this story contains the elements that define any of Murakami's previous books, but these elements are used sparingly and not necessarily how we're used to seeing them. Murakami has crafted one of those stories that make you want to know more, that make you want to call up Tsukuru and ask him what ended up happening with that one specific relationship we barely understand.

It's an easy read, it's short and sweet. I'm not sure if I can say that Murakami has 'evolved' or 'matured'--for obvious reasons--but it seems he's taken a different road on this one, and it's definitely an interesting one. I say, read it, it's worth your time.