Murakami's use of language in the passage below

In this passage from After Dark, Murakami achieves an awkward and uncomfortable feeling for the reader to match the mood in the novel through his use of language. There are several techniques that Murakami includes in this passage which allow the reader to engage with the mood of the extract. His sentence structure is often unusual and therefore is uncomfortable to read. Dependent clauses are left to stand alone, and begin with conjunctions, for example “And an ashtray.” This communicates the awkwardness of Murakami’s language. Along with the fragments, the syntax in the passage has an effect on the reader as well. With the use of colons, “…she has a cup of coffee in front of her: that is her role as a customer.”, the audience is left uneasy about what is happening in the passage. This incomplete, minimalist way of writing allows the reader to experience the discomfort matching the mood in the passage. Finally, the point of view that Murakami uses in this excerpt is third person limited. This matched with the simple syntax and fragments ends with the reader feeling as though they are there, watching the girl “reach out at regular intervals and bring the coffee cup to her mouth”. Murakami makes the reader feel directly exposed to the uncomfortable mood of the passage through his combination of literary techniques.