South of the Border West of the Sun

In post-war Japan, young Hajime and Shimamoto bonded as the only children in their suburban neighborhood, spending afternoons immersed in music from her father's record collection. When Shimamoto's family moved away, the connection dissolved. Decades later, Hajime has built a stable life—a successful jazz bar, a devoted wife, and two daughters—only to have Shimamoto unexpectedly resurface, compelling him to confront the ghosts of an irreplaceable childhood friendship. Murakami explores the tension between the lives we build and the relationships that continue to pull at our hearts.