While Underground is not Murakami's first foray with tragedy, it is unique in that it is structured around a collection of interviews and essays. The book includes accounts from both survivors/families of victims of the 1995 Aum cult's sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway, as well as former members of the Aum cult (thought not those directly involved in the attacks).

The memories of those who suffered from the terrorist attacks are not easy to read. Ranging from minor injuries, various manifestations of PTSD, lifelong debilitating disability, and death, the accounts are raw and paint a vivid image of terrorism's aftermath.

Underground, along with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and after the quake, consisted of a series of Murakami's explorations of the 1990's Japanese national psyche. While his two works of fiction contain narratives of emotion and detachment, Underground most explicitly defines what Murakami thinks.

Especially highlighted with his interviews with (mostly) former Aum cult members, it is clear that Murakami seeks to understand how people make sense of and find attachments to greater entities in their lives, as well as how they can be detached to the point of allowing for bad things to happen (directly or indirectly).

It is not for the faint of heart, but I would still recommend Underground. It is a good read that details an important part of history.