Murakami is the wizard of words and emotions. To me, his Norwegian Wood is beyond 'excellent'. Amazing is the way he narrates the story, develops the characters, digs into the uncharted labyrinths of human intellect and emotional bondages and chalks out an exquisite literary work of art for us to devour. 
 This book is another materialization of everything said above. Strongly resembling Norwegian Wood in terms of narration, this is a tale of betrayal, repentance, fear, guilt, friendship and humane imperfection. These themes recur throughout the book till the end. 
 However, let me make this clear. This is not a perfect book. No, definitely not and that is why no 5 stars for it. The narrative could have been more crisp and meaningful - attributes which I strongly feel would have been in the Japanese edition but were lost in translation. Also because of the fact that it leaves many questions unanswered. I am aware that the author does so deliberately - we are supposed to create our own versions of what happens to Tsukuru Tazaki, console ourselves with the fact that not everything can be known (referring to the incident involving Shiro) and accept the imperfection and unreliability of almost all the characters. The author willingly blurs the lines between reality and imagination and idealism - which often becomes the Achilles's heel for the book. 
 Leaving the literary criticism aside, this is one Rock-star of a book. A fun and intellectually fulfilling and emotionally stimulating read. This is the 1st book that I read in 2 days straight more so because it kept me hooked with the proceedings. That's the thing about Murakami - he makes you care for the characters, cry for them, get angry at them, be happy for them. 
 Highly recommended! 
 P.S. - This book is also visually the most beautiful book I've seen. Please buy the hardback. You won't regret