46. number9dream by David Mitchell, audiobook narrated by William Rycroft.
Eiji Miyake is approaching his 20th birthday when he sets off from his home village to Tokyo in search of his father, who he has never met and whose name he does not know. Adventures ensue, some real and some imaginary, all with a dreamlike quality.
I've read all of David Mitchell's books now and I'm afraid that this is the one I've liked the least, probably because I have little in common with 20 year old Japanese males. That's not to say that it's a bad book, but at some points in the story it took a big effort to carry on listening. Other parts, particularly the war diary towards the end of the book, were compelling and I didn't want to stop listening.
Mitchell's writing is beautifully descriptive as usual. Unfortunately, he seems to have been influenced by Haruki Murakami here with references to the Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Beatles songs, introspection and general weirdness. I think that one Haruki Murakami in the world is more than enough!
Overall, slightly disappointing but, with William Rycroft's excellent narration, still a 4/5.
(Happy birthday John Lennon, composer of #9 dream, who would have been 76 today).