South of the Border, West of the Sun：A Novel

InSouthoftheBorder,WestoftheSun,thesimplearcofaman'slife--withitsattendantrhythmsofsuccessanddisappointment--becomestheexquisiteliteraryterrainofHarukiMurakami'smosthauntingwork.Bornin1951inanaffluentTokyosuburb,Hajime--beginninginJapanese--hasarrivedatmiddleagewantingforalmostnothing.Thepostwaryearshavebroughthimafinemarriage,twodaughters,andanenviablecareerastheproprietoroftwojazzclubs.YetanaggingsenseofinauthenticityabouthissuccessthreatensHajime'shappiness.Andaboyhoodmemoryofawise,lonelygirlnamedShimamotocloudshisheart.WhenShimamotoshowsuponerainynight,nowabreathtakingbeautywithasecretfromwhichsheisunabletoescape,thefaultlinesofdoubtinHajime'squotidianexistencebegintogiveway.Andthedetailsofstolenmomentspastandpresent--aNatKingColemelody,afacepressedagainstawindow,ahandfulofashesdriftingdownrivertothesea--threatentoundohimcompletely.Rich,mysterious,quietlydazzling,SouthoftheBorder,WestoftheSunisHarukiMurakami'swisestandmostcompellingfiction.