This study examined the sources of difficulties in literary narrative reading experienced by 22 intermediate Japanese EFL university students based on two analytical frameworks for general EFL reading and poetry difficulties. Both genre-neutral and -specific sources were identified on the basis of responses to items on reading that target specific parts of texts in which obstacles to meaning construction were expected. The study identified six (three genre-neutral and three genre-specific) sources of difficulties in literary narrative reading, namely, lack of word (general), grammar (general), topics (general), figurative language, inexplicit coherence, and lack of subjectivity. This study also offers suggestions for teaching practice and future research to alleviate the reading difficulties that foreign language learners may encounter when reading literary narratives in the classroom.