I have to admit, even for Murakami, this one was pretty weird.

Mind you, this novel is filled with many Murakami standards - cats, (several) mysterious women, an emotionally detached protagonist, darkness, sheep, whiskey, hotels, existential transience, you get the idea. What makes this one stand out as especially odd is that while a typical Murakami novel interweaves the worlds of reality and dreams, "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" is a dream-like trance from start to finish.

Overall, this made for a strong novel. While like a dream (or nightmare) there are many elements that are left unanswered, the narrative twists and turns in an exciting manner, and the tone heightens the stakes of events in unexpected ways. Obtaining easily digestible answers is not really the point, but rather developing an understanding and acceptance of life's messiness seems to be closer to the core of it all.

If Vonnegut writes stories of people unstuck from time, Murakami writes stories of people unstuck from reality. I'd recommend it, just know what you are getting yourself into.