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Advantages: Quirky and Innovative storytelling
Disadvantages: Quite short

After the Quake is a collection of four or five short stories by Haruki Murakami. All of these stories are linked by the use of the 1994 Kobe Earthquake as a backdrop. These are witty and insightful stories that prove Murakami is still one of the most original writers today. There is a sense of almost childlike fantasy in these stories with characters such as the Earthquake man coming to put a little girl in a box and a giant frog who has come to ...
...warmth that is unexpected from such surreal material. The relationships between his protagonists remain believable and heartfelt throughout. All in all this is a worthy addition to Murakami's catalogue of work. It may not quite equal his previous short story collection The Elephant Vanishes or his masterpiece The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle but is no less of a great book for this. Though not his best, this collection still holds more innovation and originality ... Read review

Advantages: The storyline is essential a great one
Disadvantages: It leaves you feeling dissatisfied

Having seen this book in Waterstones year upon year, and then with the release of the film, I thought it was time I gave this book a chance. It centres on the vivid imagination of a young girl who does something that will see her spending the rest of her life trying to atone for it. The concept of the book cannot be faulted, neither can McEwan's writing which takes you through the thoughts and feelings of different characters regarding the same incident. ...
...low, is because it felt that the book never quite reached the climax that I felt it could achieve. The plot is essentially excellent but you can't help but feel disappointed as it draws to a close because it leaves you with a feeling of "is that it?". Essentially with such a great concept, I feel that the last 3rd of the book could have been more compelling, and instead I felt like McEwan had wasted a good plot. ... Read review