Hiromi Kawakami - People From My Neighbourhood

The loose interconnections between these short short stories add a bit to their enjoyability, with the cumulative effect of all the whimsies and unrealities building as the occasionally recurring characters acquire marginally more texture across them. I liked this, didn't love it - the register in which it works is appealing, and rarely slips into being overly precious, but the intimations of depth never quite coalesce either. (In that way, and others, it reminds me of much of Amelie Nothomb.)