This is my favorite Murakami book. I picked it up on a whim, based on the jacket copy, and it has become one of my favorite books.While not perfect - some chapters are a little loose - the story is one of the most intriguing things I've ever read. Alternating between the 'real' and subconscious every chapter is a neat trick that makes you ponder the very reality of the story. Which world is the 'real' world? Towards the end the story even turns a little Lovecraftian - Which was very surprising for a Japanese author. The books also poses one of the most interesting physics problems about time I've ever been introduced to. There were many themes in this book I agree with and wouldn't be able to articulate without it.It's not only greatly entertaining, it makes you think about the world a little differently.