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Poorva Parashar asked this question about Kafka on the Shore:
WHY is this book so loved? I mean, I didn't gain anything out of it. I'm not asking this as an insult. I genuinely want to know what the special thing about this book is.
Lee Honestly, this was my least favorite Murakami novel so far. The plot is a Hero's Journey (ala Joseph Campbell) that has been used so many times before…moreHonestly, this was my least favorite Murakami novel so far. The plot is a Hero's Journey (ala Joseph Campbell) that has been used so many times before. There is even literally a dark, mysterious forest, straight out of Campbell.

Another flaw in my opinion is the philosophizing the characters frequently engage in. Their ideas are often sophomoric. Since most of the characters are young men, that might be a realistic way to describe their views of the world, but these rehashed ideas go on for far too long. It's always a bad sign when the best ideas expressed in a character's dialogue have quotation marks around them. I liked hearing wisdom from Shakespeare, Aeschylus, and others. From Oshima, Crow, or Sakura... not so much. This was disappointing because Murakami can be very profound. In this novel, he just seemed to be trying too hard.

The magical realism subplots were fun, although Johnny Walker, devil incarnate, is just another armchair philosopher. (less)
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Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami
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