India, Feb. 17 -- Author - Haruki Murakami

Publisher - Penguin, Rs 100

Murakami's recently re-released Birthday Girl is just the gift that a grown-up would need on his/her next birthday. In its philosophy as well as writing style, it is a rare literary treat, writes UMANG AGGARWAL

There's almost nothing new about a story that revolves around the idea of the protagonist being granted a fixed number of wishes. Almost inevitably, the story ends with a philosophical lesson that he/ she learns in the process of making the wish. Only an author with (Franz) Kafka-like rare skill and thought to add novelty to this. And that's exactly what the book being reviewed offers.

Haruki Murakami, a contemporary Japanese author whose works have been wid...