Well, there wasn't a lot of activity in the final threads so I figured I'd just post a conclusion thread. How did you find the second half of the novel? It seems to get steadily more and more surreal, though Toru barely acknowledges it. How did you find the ending? It's quite open (though not the mo...

I find this a little contradictory! He says he has no problems being an atheist in a religious place and everyone is nice to him, but then later with no reference to anything else says religions are dangerous and will bring doomsday? I agree with him but I think he could have built up to his argumen...

I have to say I feel pretty much exactly as Dawkins describes. The niqab and the chadri seriously disturb me. Especially in Toronto, when it's 40 degrees with humidity (104 for you Amerikans), it seems like an outright health risk. It's hard to accept that this is a religious issue and therefore we ...

Hmm... it seems I lent my copy away! So I'm not certain which translation I have. I'll let you know which it is when I recover it (sometime before Sept 1).

I will be joining. I used all three votes for it!

Not in his role as a housewife - Kumiko was never that. But in that he has been put in a situation where he must learn to understand how others feel if he wants to resolve it.

I expect you're right about the elusiveness. I could see how Noboru is similar to the sneakiness and sly natures of some cats. You never know what their angle is, and they have an opacity to their gaze.

I think a lack of empathy is at the core of many problems in the world. Definitely in this book, Toru is learning to consider things from other peoples point of view. Especially Kumiko's.

They said he reminded them of him. I don't think it went into more detail...

Haha, I like May. She seems like a pretty clever girl, but one who has difficulty with her peer group. A little bit morose, too... a difficult girl.