Hello book lovers :)!
By far, Kafka on the Shore is the weirdest book I’ve ever read. I knew what I was getting into; Murakami is notorious for his surreal and provoking storytelling but if you’re not familiar with his work, you’re in for quite the ride. This book is like stepping into a dream: strange, unsettling, and yet impossible to walk away from.
The story itself is fascinating, with two dual narratives that seem worlds apart but are so closely connected. On one hand, you have Kafka Tamura, a 15 year old runaway searching for himself (and trying to escape an Oedipal prophecy, thanks Freud🙃). On the other, you have Nakata, an elderly man who can talk to cats (my only wish🥹) but lost most of his memories during a mysterious childhood incident. The way these two stories intertwine in such small yet so impactful ways is masterful. Plot twists come out of nowhere, leaving you shocked and hungry for more.
Murakami has a special, almost hypnotic way of writing. His words can be both hauntingly beautiful and deeply uncomfortable😬 (to the point where I couldn’t open the book to finish the chapter). There’s a lot to love about this book, but it’s not without its bad side. The heavy doses of sexual themes (including pedophilia) and some unsettling moments left me cringing more than once. But that’s Murakami for you: he doesn’t shy away from provocative topics, and somehow, the balance with discomfort and sentences so profound they take your breath away. He has this ability to write the most provocative, even disgusting moments, and then follow them up with the most beautiful sentences you’ll ever read. It’s like being yanked in two completely opposite directions, and yet, it works!! It’s messy, brilliant, and it stays with you long after you turn the last page :D.
Here are a few quotes that had me like “woah, this is life changing”😂:
“Man doesn’t choose fate. Fate chooses man.”
“If you remember me, then I don’t care if everyone else forgets.”
“Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That’s part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads - at least that’s where I imagine it - there’s a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our own heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in awhile, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you’ll live forever in your own private library.”
After these beautiful words this complicated man wrote there’s _Chapter 16….. yes,,,,,, Chapter 16. _Let’s just say there were tears spilled, plenty of them. That chapter hit me like a train and left me staring at the ceiling, trying to process everything. And of course trying not to get the pages wet😆.
Would I recommend it? If you love surrealism, emotional dives, and you’re okay with a bit of discomfort along the way, absolutely. But I’m giving you the slight warning, this book isn’t for everyone. Yes it’s complex, heavy, and it’s unapologetically strange.
For me, Kafka on the Shore gets a solid 7/10. It’s not perfect, but it’s unforgettable, and for that, I’ll always respect Murakami. And to be completely honest I didn’t want the book to end. It was so got it almost made me go back to my old habit of ripping out the last page of the book so that way it doesn’t end😅
Have you read this book? If you did, please write down your opinion on it I’d love to read it :)!
