I was excited about reading this book. I like Murakami as an author because he manages to capture feeling in a way that few other authors can manage. It's unusual to me how his novels affect me. For the first 30% of the book I thought it was meandering and rather pointless. It's not as though I didn't like it, I just didn't care too much about the plot. Then, as it went on, more and more strange and intriguing events began popping up. After the characters cross the unlucky bend, I loved it. The surreal, almost dreamlike tone the book took on had me hook, line and sinker.

I don't begrudge anybody not enjoying this. There are tons of hinted at plot points that may or may not connect to the overall story. It floats around from one vaguely connected thread to the next. Did the cat matter? What's with the clock? Can the chauffer talk to God? How much of what happens in the cabin literally happen? Up to you! It might drive some people crazy. When I finished it, I sat there wishing that I both "got it" more and less than I did. I feel as though this is one of those books that's going to marinate in my mind and I'll come to appreciate it more in time. I'd recommend this as something to read for yourself and then discuss with a group of people. I think everybody would get something different out of it.