PositiveWorld Literature TodaySurprisingly poignant ... The presentation feels much as if Murakami were sitting with us, sharing recollections of moments in his past while we sip a cool beer. The tales spin out slowly, and the sense of distance gives them an ethereal quality that intensifies their subtle wistfulness. We see some of the magic realism here we have come to expect from this author, but by and large, they seem just this side of plausible, an oddly welcome change. They are soft around the edges, light and delicate without descending into vapidity, and ask us to think about the unimportant, random events in our own past that have, nonetheless, remained inexplicably with us. In creating this dynamic, Murakami is well served by his translator, Philip Gabriel, who has translated many of his works into English. He brings his usual deft touch to the renderings of these tales, all of which read easily, settling into the reader’s consciousness where their aftereffects linger pleasingly ... Gently satisfying.
