I've read a fair bit of Murakami and I think he's at his best when he's deep into the surrealist, magical realism stuff. South of the Border only really touches on that. Kafka on the Shore, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle and Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World are books of his that I rather liked. I thought The Wind-up Bird Chronicle was a bit flabby but there is an excellent section of the story about Japanense soldiers in Manchuria during World War 2 that makes up for it. I know a lot of people that just don't really connect with his work though so there is that.