2008-09-27 Fascinating, compelling, but also annoyingly convoluted.

This novel has two parallel and intertwining threads. The first concerns a 15 year old boy who runs away from his father's home and who seems pre-destined to sleep with his mother and sister. The second concerns a retired, semi-retarded man, whose mind was partially stolen in a childhood supernatural accident, but who has supernatural gifts in return. He goes on a quest to find some peace. The characters all behave in that natural, simple way with simple dialogue that is one of Murakami's trademarks, but which I found somewhat annoying at times in this particular novel. The plot, for all its surreal, bizarre twists, is strangely compelling and I found the book very gripping. It is clear that there is a tapestry of ideas within the novel, and this makes it rich and fascinating, but for me it also seemed to verge on confused and convoluted, and I think the ambiguities were a little too numerous for my tastes.