Dance Dance Dance | Haruki Murakami

When it comes to writing, Murakami is a wizard -- a word wizard because he creates these eccentric characters and plants them into all sorts of bizarre situations where no one really knows if they are still in the real world, or a dream, or both. But somehow, it all just works. Murakami wonderfully pulls you along for the ride, and before you know it, you find yourself believing every single thing he's written, even if it's completely absurd or impossible. Not only do you allow yourself to be confused, you embrace the uncertainty. If you've read Kafka on the Shore, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

But I should be talking about Dance Dance Dance in this post, and, unfortunately, there's not much to rave about. I was left feeling a little... disengaged. Although the writing itself was very typically Murakami's, the plot lacked intrigue and suspense, leaving me bored and indifferent. The narrator failed to make me care, failed to make me feel for him and root for him in his obsessive search for a missing ex-girlfriend. His companions -- a beautiful teenaged psychic, and a handsome but broke actor -- were interesting in theory, but were closer to being disappointedly two-dimensional, in the end. There were, however, a few passages that gently pulled at my heartstrings, but even these were too few in between to really make a dent.

As always, I am perfectly aware of the laws of relativity here. I'm sure those well-acquainted with his work wouldn't tote this novel as Murakami's best -- but for the new and uninitiated, it can serve as a good introduction to the author's unique writing style.

If anything, for me, it made for a smooth read before bed for a few nights.