Graybo links to this story today, which I found compelling not just because it is very sad, and a terrible indictment on the human race, but also because it was an event I was reminded of very recently as it inspired this novel which I finished reading last week.

The story revolves around a love triangle of sorts between a young man, his writer friend and an older, more glamorous woman she falls in love with. But if the plot sounds familiar and unpromising, through subtle and matter-of-fact prose Murakami eschews soap-opera melodramatics to instead create a tale that is poignant, mysterious, vaguely surreal and slightly fabulous. A very intriguing read - deeply sad in parts, but strangely enjoyable.