Book review: 1Q84, By Haruki Murakami

When feminist avenger Aomame shimmies down from the Tokyo expressway, she – and we – enter a different world.

In the two-mooned parallel reality of this addictively odd, vast trilogy, our heroine pursues misogynistic low-lifes while gauche, bookish hero Tengo graduates to dashing deeds of his own.

s their twin tales fuse, both target Murakami's perennial bugbear, a charismatic cult. Japan's maverick superhero (well served by translators Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel) can remind you of Rowling or of Dostoyesvky - on one page.