Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Kafka on the Shore

There were things I loved about this book, and there were things I hated. So I'm going to give it a middle ground of 3 stars.

I really enjoyed the writing style, and the story, although incredibly strange, was very entertaining. I really enjoyed Nataka’s storyline, which is the sole reason why this book has a three star rating and not a one.

I've got to say I really did not like our protagonist Kafka. He was, at least to me, a really bland and unlikable character. Also, the amount of needless, and at times disturbing, sexual content that is narrated through the perspective of a fifteen-year-old was incredibly off-putting. I think I would have enjoyed the book much more if that had been cut from the story.

I usually love books like this but sadly some of the content really put me off.

Content Warnings

maddalenacesco's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

why would he… nvm.

Content Warnings

bookshelf_of_jess's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

annacinnamonbun's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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kristauhh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

what?
i'll start with the things i enjoyed.
the writing is beautiful, there are so many things in this book that i could be able to pull out and make into a meaningful quote. i also loved some of the characters, they're well thought out, especially hoshino. the musical, cultural and philosophical references are probably the best part. also great commentary on war.

now for what i disliked.
the whole thing was so vague (and i know what to expect from magical realism, my fav book of all time is japanese magical realism), nothing really made sense.

i mean, how is nakata connected to kafka? they never even meet. nakata simply killed his father, who he saw as johnny walker.

i understand that the mc is a 15 year old boy, but seriously, can he not talk about his dick for ONE chapter? not to mention the sexual relationship with a 50+ year old woman who he thinks is his mom. and ~~raping~~ the girl, who he hopes is his sister.
oh, the graphic animal abuse wasn't great, it was pointless, we never see johnny walker ever again with his cat-soul flute.
the end wasn't good either! it feels like this book needs a sequel.

overall. i understand why it gets high ratings and why it's so loved. maybe it's the translation i read didn't do it justice, but that doesn't change the fact that it is incredibly confusing and disturbing.

Content Warnings

tayyay's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Content Warnings

huntermirpuri's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really liked parts of it. There were a lot of quotes and ideas i resonated with and parts of kafka that made me feel so comforted but at the end of the day there’s so many disgusting parts that detract from it. It’s written wonderfully and has so much potential but the misogyny and incest shit and dodgy age gaps and one dimensional women are hard to ignore.

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