Nice lead review of this in the Sunday Denver Post (apparently originally from San Francisco Chronicle) today:
Book review: In Haruki Murakami's world, it's like 1984 -- almost
Author employs magic realism in a deep meditation about our dystopian trappings
By Andrew Ervin
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted: 11/06/2011 01:00:00 AM MST
What makes the world of Orwell's "1984" so terrifying is how subtly it mirrors and mimics our own world. The same can be said of Haruki Murakami's "1Q84."
Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" is one of those rare novels that clearly depict who we are now and also offer tantalizing clues as to where literature may be headed.
The title, of course, evokes George Orwell's masterpiece "1984," which is quite timely considering that Orwell is everywhere these days. Flip through this very newspaper and you may well find references to "Big Brother" and "thoughtcrime" and "Newspeak." If "1Q84" is any indication, Murakami will one day prove to be just as much of a visionary.
rest here:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19259566