Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

I'd probably put this at 3.5. Everything seemed to come together in the closing chapters, and those were my favorite. This is a pretty strange book, with interesting explorations of conscious and subconscious, and what those might look like. I found the writing to be a little odd at points - I'm not sure if that's an element of translation, or if the writing is just... a little odd.

Some favorite lines:

“First, about the mind. You tell me there is no fighting or hatred or desire in the Town. That is a beautiful dream, and I do want your happiness. But the absence of fighting or hatred or desire also means the opposites do not exist either. No joy, no communion, no love. Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise; without the despair of loss, there is no hope.” (p. 334)

“Even if I had my life to live over again, I couldn't imagine not doing things the same. After all, everything–this life I was losing–was me. And I couldn't be any other self but my self. Could I?” (p. 341)

“Had I done the right thing by not telling her? Maybe not. Who on earth wanted the right thing anyway? Yet what meaning could there be if nothing was right? If nothing was fair?” (p. 392)