The Elephant Vanishes

The Elephant Vanishes – 5 Stars

Murakami’s writing in these stories is, as usual: free, unapologetic, unembarrassed, and politically incorrect.

The short story format fits his style perfectly, forcing the narratives to be sharp and focused, avoiding the hard-to-follow stretches that appear in some of his novels.

Some stories are downright fun, some are haunting, some evoke that nostalgic, dreamlike mood Murakami is known for, and some I didn’t understand—but enjoyed reading anyway.

Not every story is a 5-star masterpiece, but enough of them are to justify the overall rating.