As I approached the last few chapters of the book I grew more desperate to find some redeeming qualities of the protagonist. But sadly there were none. The book is about a guy and his childhood friend who parted ways when they were 12, only to reunite 25 years later at a jazz bar that he owns. By that point the protagonist Haiime is well off and married with two kids. The two friends’ reunion throws him for a spin, resurfacing the lust and quiet longing he’s felt for her since they were kids. The first half of the book made me think of the movie Past Lives (which I loved) - but there was nothing to like about any of the characters in here. The childhood friend, Shimamoto, maintains an air of mystery around her that seems to serve no purpose other than fuel the protagonists boyish pining.
Because its Murakami, the writing was good enough and book was short enough for me to hang on to the end. This is my second book by Murakami. I enjoyed After Dark and am sure there’s better characters and storylines to be found in his other works. But this one left me wanting to just grab the protagonist by the collar and say… get tf over yourself lol