Ok, no magic realism! To be honest, yes, I had expected that. No, I had not read anything about it first. Why would I?
But the story was written wonderfully, and it did grow on me. The struggle in the book, chosing between Midori and Naoko, doesn't start until the last quarter of the book or so, which makes it a kind of silly spoiler.
The beauty of his writing is in the soft, undemanding poetic way he describes everything, including the distant character of the protagonist. You cannot feel angry at the guy for the distance he keeps between himself and the world. It is an utterly natural thing for him, and as such, makes you wonder about your own compulsions.
