I wasn't really in a hurry to read any more Murakami after the complete mess that 1Q84 disintegrates into, but this was short and looked potentially fun. But at first this one seems really phoned in. Then I realized that it is probably intended as a children's book. Not just for the visual-heavy Chip Kidd design (which is cool, but a bit of gimmick when it's really the most interesting thing about this), but the whole much-reduced story, which borrows various elements from other Murakami works with only the meagerest development. But if this is for kids, though, why tell them that Libraries the world over are creepy institutions that will trap you and suck out your brain? Or maybe I'm just well and truly over Murakami now?