Kafka on the Shore in Classics Without All the Class

Sep 07, 2017 Andrea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is like reading 100 Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez. Obviously García's masterpiece goes beyond perfection, but Kafka on the Shore has some similarities. The story develops in apparent disorder, giving us but pieces of the story's puzzle. Little by little we begin to put some pieces together, until we end up with a glorious picture of the whole story.

At first, some things don't make any sense. Consecutive chapters are very different from one another. We get to see how every chara This is like reading 100 Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez. Obviously García's masterpiece goes beyond perfection, but Kafka on the Shore has some similarities. The story develops in apparent disorder, giving us but pieces of the story's puzzle. Little by little we begin to put some pieces together, until we end up with a glorious picture of the whole story.

At first, some things don't make any sense. Consecutive chapters are very different from one another. We get to see how every character's life develops and thrives, although we cannot figure out how they are all related, since all of them are in different places and sometimes in different times.

I am not a fan of incestuous relationships, but for some reason, the book does not leave the reader with a bitter taste in the mouth regarding this topic. It is somewhat disturbing nonetheless. The main character seemingly runs away from home to escape a prophesy given to him by his father. The prophesy foretells Kafka will kill his father, and sleep with his mother and sister.

In another place and another time Nakata, another very important character in the story, experiences something in his childhood that forever changes him. He becomes someone one might consider slow. He becomes very special and loses many abilities like reading, writing, understanding concepts like time, money and complicated numbers. He always lives in the now, and has a lot of time to spare. Nakata, at some point in the story, is responsible of indirectly helping Kafka, and is compelled to travel a very long way to do it. Nakata never knows exactly where he has to go, or what he has to do, but he keeps going forward and paying attention to his surroundings until he intuitively knows what to do. During his travelling, he gets help from a lot of people, but they then leave him on his own. Everyone, except Hashino. Hashino decides to go with Nakata and help him fulfill his job, whatever that is.

At the same time Kafka goes through many things while in the run, and ends up getting help from a boy who works in a private library. There he meets his mother, nevertheless, he doesn't know that until much later in the story.

Many things happen after this; a lot of fantasy and supernatural things occur. As the story progresses, everything becomes even more illogical and mostly seems that happens in the characters' minds. However, it is impossible to put the book down, and as every chapter finishes, you can't wait to read the next. Every chapter focuses on different characters as you read on. In chapter 1 you might be reading about Nakata, and then chapter 2 focuses on Kafka. Upon finishing chapter 1 you can't wait to know what happens to Nakata, but then you are absorbed by Kafka's troubles and forget about it for a while. Then you finish chapter 2 and it keeps you hanging as well, but recalling about Nakata you get excited and start reading chapter 3. This goes on until the very last chapter of the story. It's like almost reaching a climax, but stopping at the last moment. You never really reach it, until you read the last word of the whole book. It leaves you with a sweet satisfaction and a delicious sense of wholeness. In the end every piece of the puzzle fits perfectly.

Read this book. ...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Avisek Bandyopadhyay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: metaphysical, awesome-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Murakami..Its his first novel that I have read and I dont think it will be the last. Its my first venture in the world of metaphysical reality and Boy, was I impressed !
Before I go into the details about what left me gushing and what left me baffled, I need to say the book deals with something disturbing. Now again, disturbing is a relative word. It deals with patricide, incest, dreams and reality, living spirits, eunuchs..It has everything that is a taboo in its own right. But then, Murakami, d ...more

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