a good light read, Murakami provides a brief memoir while avoiding deep examination of the creative process or self-analysis. no explosive self-revelations, just a 30-somethingesque (isn't Murakami always 30-somethingesque?) bartender providing skilled insight into a beer-and-peanuts view of life.
no profound sweep of history, just a brief sandwich to eat between Murakami's much more important novels