After Dark

After Dark
Haruki Murakami

Bad enough that Murakami’s shtick has been getting repetitive and predictable – patrolling liminal conditions and invoking subconscious/subterranean states of mind and being – but now it seems infused with a spirit of sentimentality and kitsch. After Dark is an unimpressive, soft-hearted and feather-headed tour through all of the usual tropes, accompanied by a familiar jazz-pop soundtrack. After The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Sputnik Sweetheart I honestly thought this guy was one of the best writers in the world. Alas, such a falling-off is nothing unusual.