South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami

What I like best about Murakami is the way he can evoke an atmosphere and describe the most mundane everyday situations/objects and bring out how beautiful or satisfying they really are, or introduce an uncanny twist to them.  Portraying alienation in a modern world is another thing he’s great at.  His writing style is strangely addictive and keeps you reading even when something just too weird to believe has just happened.  Sometimes his imagination strays into the overwrought, with gratuitous sex & violence  that contribute little to the story or characters (like he just threw them in there for shock value), but that was not the case for this book.

If you are in the mood for a book with logical plots and neatly resolved endings, then this is not what you’re looking for.  But if you have a willingness to just go along for the ride and an ability to suspend disbelief, then you will enjoy Murakami.  I’ve read 4 of his books now: first one was Kafka on the Shore, then Wind Up Bird Chronicle, then After Dark and South of the Border.