Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Murakami Haruki (2008)

A young man accompanies his cousin to hospital to investigate an unusual hearing complaint and recalls a story about a woman put to sleep by tiny flies crawling inside her ear. Elsewhere, a mirror appears from nowhere, a night watchman is unnerved when his reflection tries to take control of him, a couples relationship becomes unbalanced after they eat nothing but exquisite crab on holiday, and a man follows the instructions on a postcard to apply for a job, only to find an unknown password standing between him and his mysterious employer. In each story, Murakami moves beyond the real and into the surreal, transforming everyday events and leaving the reader dazzled. This eclectic collection spans five years of his writing, and an introduction explains the diversity of his choices.