Paperback, 190 pages
English language
Published Dec. 1, 2006 by Vintage.
Growing up in the suburbs of post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father's record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch. Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present.
Sono combattuto riguardo a questo romanzo. Mi sono dovuto quasi sforzare di leggere la prima metà, che però ho apprezzato meglio leggendo l'ultima parte tutta d'un soffio. È la storia di un uomo, raccontata in un modo che mi è sembrato estraneo a Murakami, almeno all'inizio. Temi diversi, tagli nuovi. Inaspettato e, devo dire, mi ha ricordato un po' Due di Due all'inizio.
