This is what I came here to write, I think you're spot on. There's a similar criticism of Hemingway's works[1]: that his prose is stagnant and unchanging. But

This is what I came here to write, I think you're spot on. There's a similar criticism of Hemingway's works[1]: that his prose is stagnant and unchanging. But the fact of the matter is, his books are phenomenal. I still think about many of them often, and they have had a profound impact on my life. I feel much the same way about Murakami. Yes, his protagonists are often similar (say, if one compares the descriptions of solitude in home life in Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which I'm reading now), and many follow similar themes, but regardless his books (and short stories) are a delight to read. They are full of beautiful thoughts and writing that, though similar, often build on and compliment one another. Just my 2c. [1] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/18/hemingway-s-messy-legacy-gets-messier.html http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/18/hemingway-s...