Just as fiction that is purely mundane can be, well, mundane, fiction that is only fantastic is often only dull. Authors such as Paul Auster and Jonathan Carroll are successful precisely because they don't write in one mode or the other, but rather in both, and at the same time. By placing the mundane next to the fantastic these authors are able to show us the beauty of such everyday affairs as coffee or conversation; by placing the fantastic next to the mundane they provide the contrast necessary for readers to discern what makes their fancy other than facile.
No one does this better than Haruki Murakami, not only in his novels but also in short fiction, as his "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" demonstrates.
"I find writing novels a challenge, writing short stories a joy," Murakami remarks in the introduction to this collection. It will be the joy of following Murakami's characters through those challenging novels as they boil pasta, chase sheep, listen to records and descend to the bottoms of wells that will make most readers eager to open "Blind Willow," and when they do, fans will not be disappointed. The stories are packed with the food, music and fantasy that Murakami readers relish.
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