Murakami đã nói về cách đối mặt với những cuộc tấn công vào tác phẩm của mình, “In general, you could say I have limitations as a human being, and so do my novels, so it's only natural that I get criticized for something. If people enjoy my work, it makes me happy, of course, but if they don't then all I can do is tell them I'm sorry.”