Yeah, I had to go back & re-read Hard-boiled after this because it had been a while. One of those situations where I want to know more about The City but worry that knowing more would be less entertaining(?).

Only 150 pages in and what’s hitting me is that it overtly invokes Hard Boiler but so many other books are quietly referenced too (libraries, holes in the ground, unexplainable lost love) there’s a fin de siecle quality to the novel. The narrator does strike me as more emotionally flat than usual

Yeah, it got me back on a Murakami kick for 3-4 books. Re-read some of The Rat stuff too

Murakami def has a "cinematic" universe made of sheep and unicorns. I've never read norwegian wood, i heard it's more grounded tho.

It’s worth reading it because it’s quite affecting and it was his massive breakout Novel in Japan. Grounded as it is it’s completely inline with his other work.

remember when we both said Bad Monkey would be a good kojima game?

Oh yeah!

It is. And supposedly the most autobiographical.