In this novel, Haruki Murakami proved to me yet again that he’s the master of surreal literature and idiosyncratic prose. As expected, there’s a quirky set of characters: a man in a Sheep costume taking refuge in an alternate world, first-class prostitutes billed to Mastercard, a thirteen-year-old rock music-loving psychic, a matinee idol who only gets to play the wholesome roles of dentists and professors, a forgetful photographer who has a one-armed poet as her inamorato, and an unnamed narrator who tries to figure out his real connections to the world of reality and the world that exists only for him.

The story is about a commercial freelance writer being haunted by his dreams of a crying girl—his lost love—that seems to be calling from the old Dolphin Hotel. He goes back to the hotel, getting caught in a web of peculiar people, sexual fantasies and realities, lots of death, a metaphysical world…and did I already say lots of death? :) Really, it almost has this Final Destination feel to it.

It’s not really fast-paced, but it won’t let the reader fall into ennui as each page is basked in a variety of offbeat elements. The set of characters is one. Another is the humor. The narrator’s introspections are most of the time serious and morbid, though there are moments where his thoughts would come off darkly humorous. The reactions of people around him (the stubborn Yuki in particular) got me cracking up. His banters with the thirteen-year-old girl are the best.

Third, the music. There’s a lot of thinly-veiled music recommendation there (or maybe it’s just me…I don’t know, but I searched for every music that the narrator played while lounging in hotel rooms and while driving his Subaru).

It kind of reminds me of The Wind Up Bird Chronicle in some aspects (Gotanda’s divorce is reminiscent of Toru Okada’s, Yuki sort of reminds me of May Kasahara, the narrator and Toru Okada are both freelance writers, and the alternate worlds as plot devices). I like The Wind-Up bird more, but Dance Dance Dance is still a wonderful read all in all, a treat to someone who needs an occasional mindscrew. :)