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Carolina asked this question about Kafka on the Shore:
I really enjoyed the book, but I have some unanswered questions. For example: how Kafka can be Miss Saeki' son, and at the same time, being also her former dead boyfriend? Is Kafka like his reencarnation or something like that?. At the end Kafka remembers being in the moment of the painting with her when they were young.
Megha From what I understood, Murakami gives enough reasons to think Kafka was Miss Saeki's boyfriend like when they sit by the shore and she asks why he ha…moreFrom what I understood, Murakami gives enough reasons to think Kafka was Miss Saeki's boyfriend like when they sit by the shore and she asks why he had to die and also the fact that each could see their 15 year old partner (though there are no hints that it's re-incarnation).

But about Miss Saeki being Kafka's mother is rather put forward as theory which is not confirmed by Murakami. At the end of the novel, when Oshima says that Miss Saeki passed away with a lot of secrets, Kafka comments - and also with a lot of theories, which means that even he is not sure that she was his mother. But again, since the point of incest about Kafka sleeping with his mother, the curse is spelled out by his father, can be used as an inference to prove the point.

But again, Murakami's keeps the question open for us to interpret it as we want.(less)
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Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami
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