"Powerful. . . . Candid and often emotional." –
San Francisco Chronicle
"Both a literary memorial and a frank examination of a society in search of its bearings." –A.V. Club
"Impressive." –
The Independent "Chilling. . . . Murakami weaves a compelling true tale of normal lives faced with abnormal realities." –
Sunday Tribune "Powerfully observed. . . . A rattling chronicle of violence and terror." –
Kirkus Reviews "Through Murakami's sensitive yet relentless questioning, it emerges that the people who joined Aum felt just as adrift in the world as Murakami's own [fictional] characters do." –
The Guardian