Murakami shares the wartime trauma passed down from his father. Reading this story I'm reminded of a time I tried to save a cat caught in a tree. It was one of those long, skinny trees, suitable for the thoroughfares of an apartment community. Maybe Eucalyptus, with a smooth trunk that branched at considerable height. The cat was resting upon one of its branches, mewing away. Hearing this cat, observing the tree, I was filled by an intrusive desire to climb the tree and attempt rescue. A classic "do now, think later" situation. I donned gloves, put on an extra...