My personal hypothesis, again, having not read murakami in years，is that the storylines are so whimsical and unexplained that they all blend into each other. The first story is an adventure. The subsequent ones feel too similar to the first.

It’s been a while since I’ve read murakami, but my impression has always been the journey was better than the destination. I remember the feeling of having finished the book, not quite sure what happened, but the remnants of a fever dream drifting about.

And ears!