I’ve read myself some Murakami and I definitely know what you mean lol. I find sometimes he meanders way too much on certain elements of his stories without ever really pulling them together in a way that pays off, so it just ends up being another case of “this main guy meets a bunch of wacky people and hijinks ensue” without any real centering of the story. Wind Up Bird Chronicle is another book of his where this really shows. I couldn’t even finish it, it just got so tiring to read.

Then again, he can also write really well when he wants to. Norwegian Wood is an absolutely amazing book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is coming of age, especially in this generation where we’re seeing the same patterns of political culture during the 1960s, when the book takes place.

What I do appreciate about Murakami, though, is all the subtle ways he deconstructs and mocks traditional Japanese society, especially in Norwegian Wood and Wind Up Bird Chronicle, even if I didn’t enjoy the latter. He also demystifies a lot about Japan too, which is really nice.