✨Book : Kafka on the Shore
✨Author : Haruki Murakami
✨Genre : Magical Realism
✨Pages : 613
✨Publication: 2005, Vintage

5/5

Blogpost by Dhanu

The novel is set in Japan with two stories simultaneously about the life of 15 years old boy, Kafka Tamura who is a normal school going kid whereas 70 years old man, Nakata has all his weird abilities. The book is originally written in Japanese which was translated with all its essence.

Kafka is a young teenage boy who eloped from his house on his 15th birthday to break the prophecy of killing his father and sleep with his mother and sister. Alternatively, Nakata is an old man who cannot read and write but has the ability to speak with cats.

The story begins with this and has the journey: whether Kafka breaks himself from the prophecy which was told by his father? Who is the Nakata? What is he doing with the cats? Whether both characters cross on each other paths? This is all about the novel.

Murakami’s ‘Kafka on the Shore’ is such a spectacular read. The way, he describes everything, are simple but makes you fall for his writing. Most of the scenes gave me goosebumps with his way of writing and I was getting deeper into it. This is a new kind of experience that I had never experienced before. We have to be open-minded with the things that Murakami has brought into his plot.

The characters are well-framed and each has solid background except one or two which made you absurd enough. The scenes even every move of the characters are explained in a well-structured and detailed manner. Without expectations about having answers to your questions, it would be a great read which takes you to a world full of magical realism.

The book is enclosed with a series of knots that left to its readers to unknot one after other, by getting into the pages of Murakami. Moreover, Murakami has given some amazing recommendations for classical music like Beethoven’s (which becomes my Favourite!), the places in Japan and some amazing works which may have no clues about it. Overall the book is an extraordinary read and I highly highly recommend this.

PS: I have to give some warnings for some weak heart ones and be ready for some cliffhangers too. And if you are new to Murakami, read his other works to take this one for ourselves.

Fav Line

“Having an object that symbolises freedom might make a person happier than actually getting the freedom it represents.” p.412

Happy Reading!