When I started reading The Elephant Vanishes some time ago, I only managed to read a couple of stories and then felt I had to put it down, because the style is awful. The language of some of the stories is so simplistic that it seems as if they have been translated word-for-word.Recently, I read Haruki Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle and I was amazed: the story of the first Chapter is identical to the first story of The Elephant Vanishes - however, it is a different translation, a very good translation. It makes for a fascinating read. So if you are interested in Murakami's work, give The Elephant Vanishes a miss and check out The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.