Hear the Wind Sing

This book is proto-Murakami through and through. Though it lacks the surreal elements that characterize many of his later works, Hear the Wind Sing succinctly captures his style and writerly ethos. While it is not my favorite of his works and I would not recommend that someone read this one first, the book is great for what it is. Fans of Murakami may find it worth reading for the introduction alone, in which he tells the story of how he became a novelist.