As a huge fan of Haruki Murakami, 'The Elephant Vanishes' is both as enlightening as it is frustrating to read. This collection of short stories is eminently readable and Murakami presents a typically off-beat cast of characters and plots to shred our conceptions of what is normal and to point out the banality of what we consider fantastic! At the same time, however, my 'critic head' rebels against saying that this is a great collection of short stories. Many famous authors have graduated from short works of fiction to full-length novels and Murakami is no expection. While some of the tales are very enjoyable, others have a very 'adolescent' ...  Read the complete review

'The Elephant Vanishes' is a compilation of 17 short stories by Haruki Murakami, translated by the established duo of Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin. Some of which previously appeared in various international newspapers and magazines. The title refers to the last story in the book. To say that this collection is excellent doesn't do the book enough justice, it's far beyond that. It's definetly one of Murakami's greatest works, and I'd recommend all fans of his, and non-fans of his interested in the bizarre to invest in this book. The first story of the book can possibly be skipped by persons who have read 'The Wind-Up Bird ...  Read the complete review