A collection of stories inspired by the January 1995 Kobe earthquake and the poison gas subway attacks two months later takes place between the two disasters and follows the experiences of people who found their normal lives undone by surreal events.In 1995, the Japanese city of Kobe suffered a massive earthquake. Nearly 6,000 people died. Novelist Haruki Murakami created six stories, each dealing not directly with the catastrophe but the wider seismic effect it had on the emotional lives of people many miles away. It became a catalyst for individuals to reassess their lives with unexpected consequences for themselves and their families and friends around them.