I love Murakami’s writing but I’ve never tried his short stories. I find short stories quite hard they are too long for poetry dipping in and out but not long enough to really delve into the characters and plot, but I did really enjoy some of these ones. I started well, got bit distracted and lost in the middle and then really enjoyed the final 3 - 4 stories. I find Murakami’s author voice comes through his writing so much, even if the main protagonist was a woman there is a real sense of failed middle aged man throughout the stories and although I can understand this perspective, it can get a bit depressing after a while. Having said that, the really sad stories in this anthology were the ones I loved the most!