Reviews with content warning for Rape - Kafka on the Shore

I couldn't finish this book. I have a number of complaints, chief among them is Haruki Murakami's complete and utter lack of understanding of PEOPLE. While I understand sometimes words get lost in translation, Murakami's writing skills seem to be afflicted more by his inadequate character development than translation errors.

The book is partially based on the Oedpius complex. However, it reads like a hollow story about, well... nothing. Another person in these reviews said that none of the characters in the book seem to understand that they are dealing with a 15-year-old and I couldn't agree more. The author's side characters are devoid of emotions, especially guilt.

Why wouldn't you call the police if a 15-year-old runaway shows up at your library? Why wouldn't you call the police after that 15-year-old is orphaned? Why would you molest a 15-year-old after he was just injured on the side of the road and had no one else to call? The characters in this book are senseless, like sad puppets in a boring play.

There were some moments where the book was mildly interesting and these mainly centered around the other character, Nakata. His story was engaging until he encountered an out-of-place character that kills cats (graphically). Murakami attempts to weave some sort of philosophical, fantastical meaning into this man's life but fails. The book seriously DRAGS after Nakata's turning point.

Lastly, I think it's a well-known issue the way that Murakami talks about women and the fact that his novels are held in high regard "in spite of" is disappointing. The author outwardly criticizes all of his female characters and jests about the concerns of feminists. He fabricates feminist concerns as well, such as there being no female restroom in an all-gender restroom. Murakami's implicit biases are clearly a driving force in his literature and I find that his writing is not even close to being good enough for this to be excused.

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lilaceous's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

characters - ⭐️

plot - ⭐️

engaging to read - ⭐️

would recommend - .5⭐️

would read again - ⭐️

i lovedd reading this book. it’s well written, unique, and good weird. the first half delighted and surprised me in so many ways. that being said, there are some upsetting sexual relationships in the second half that make this a hard book to recommend.

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achanelknockoff's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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vitasf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Nothing new, nothing revolutionary. Murakami’s depiction of women proves to be incredibly one dimensional and this book certainly fails the Bechdel test. Nakata, the older protagonist, should have been the primary character and the novel would have benefited from losing its titular character, Kafka.

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