I wanted to love 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls,' but Murakami's latest left me more frustrated than enchanted. What started as an intriguing dive into magical realism quickly became a bloated, meandering narrative that tested my patience.

The protagonist's decades-long obsession with a brief teenage romance felt unhealthy rather than romantic, yet Murakami seems to present it without critique. The blurring of reality and fantasy, usually Murakami's strength, here feels like a cop-out, leaving too many threads unresolved.

While the audiobook narrator did a commendable job, even their skill couldn't salvage the overextended plot. Learning this was originally a short story explains a lot - the novel feels unnecessarily padded, particularly in Parts 2 and 3.

Murakami's nod to García Márquez ironically highlights what's missing here: the coherent internal logic and profound cultural resonance that makes great magical realism work. 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and 'Love in the Time of Cholera' demonstrate a mastery of the genre that Murakami fails to achieve. Instead, we get a watered-down imitation that promises depth but delivers confusion.

I initially rated this higher, but upon reflection, I can't justify more than 2 stars. The 18 hours I spent listening to this audiobook left me feeling more miffed than satisfied. Murakami fans might find something to appreciate, but for me, this was a disappointing example of an author losing sight of his story's core. A tighter edit could have salvaged this, but as is, it's a frustrating read that doesn't pay off.