Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Kafka on the Shore

There's so much to love about this book. How Murakami blends inexplicable surealist events into very authentic scenarios. How the characters are unseemly peculiar but oh so loveable. How those characters, despite their flaws and oddities, are so consistently them. And how they bleed out of the page, soaking my shirt. How it seems so long in hindsight but flies by; countless interesting and crucial things happen throughout. Frankly, I'm surprised he fit it all into 500 pages and still had the ride feeling very laid-back most of the time. I love how when it isn't laid-back, it becomes one of the most intense and gripping stories. How the various mysteries and unexplained supernatural events keep you interested. And how it was entirely satisfying not to get an answer to the majority of them. How when an answer was given, it usually came with a myriad of new questions attached. How the story was neatly tied up, with closure and everything. And how I, despite that, want a sequel just to spend another couple hundred pages with Kafka and Hoshino. How

the story of Kafka is a modernization of the Oedipus myth and how it is even mentioned in the book – the literature passion allows for some neat direct references. And how the prophecy is fulfilled through dreams, metaphors and hypotheses

which so lovely ties into the themes of those very things.

Content Warnings

lixard's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious reflective slow-paced

1.0

no. bad. don't read it.
this whole post will be a spoiler

pros:

the writing is very fluid and captivating.
there are some very quotable passages, good wording, murakami
"that's the reality of it. it did happen. you were hurt badly, and those scars will be with you forever. i feel sorry for you, i really do. but think of it like this: it's not too late to recover. you're young, you're tough. you're adaptable. you can patch up your wounds, lift up your head, and move on. but for her that's not an option. the only thing she'll ever be is lost. it doesn't matter whether somebody judges this as good or bad - that's not the point. you're the one who has the advantage. you ought to consider that."
"every one of us is losing something precious to us. lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. 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 a while, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. in other words, you'll live forever in your own private library."

cons:

bad stuff with no reason. now i get that the thesis of this book is that looking for meaning does nothing and it seems like the tides of fate and the sandstorms of destiny just pull us along and perhaps the way to live is to keep going towards the end. BUT!!! tell me this, sir, does it make sense to partner the themes of fate and choice along with multiple instances of rape, sex with minors, and incest? IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, SIR!!
we get it, you loved oedipus rex, but.......... did you need to recreate it? isn't it and freud enough for us to suffer through?
also, there is a certain threshold for stopping and dropping the plot to get into philosophical rants. i can excuse it, really! but most of them hold no value to the story! not to mention murakami literally just name-dropping every highbrow media he's ever consumed ever onto his characters, giving us a synopsis, and then... yeah no, it never becomes relevant.
the whole plot is the opposite of a chekhov's gun - basically everything that is brought up will have no relevance later on. EXCEPT his oedipus prophecy... we are continuously, painstakingly, soul-wretchingly reminded of it again and again
also bad biology
also describing every single woman and girl's breasts
also lots of descriptions of penises

i might come back and change how many stars i can morally give this book for the writing... we'll see

Content Warnings

louwhitlock's review against another edition

Go to review page

Content Warnings

pjstudies's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

for starters, haruki murakami should not be allowed within a 3km radius of cats. or women. i won't even bother going into detail, but this entire story is a brainfuck. that being said, i actually enjoyed reading it, even if i wanted to throw up on multiple occasions due to either the description of female characters, or the cats. i will not elaborate on the cats, but you have been warned. i really want to give this a lower rating, but i think the book was laced with crack because 4 stars is the lowest i'm going.

Content Warnings

alithea's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

annadv's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.75

do not expect an explanation for just about anything

Content Warnings

cocoanatomical's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

I really love Murakami’s writing, finding the magical in the unexpected, extraordinary situations evolving out of everyday encounters… The magical realism of it all.
I also loved the fact that there aren’t any clear answers in the end. Things remain open and you tend to ask yourself whether these questions were that important in the first place. It left me with the feeling of life as an ongoing journey full of change and self discovery.

I also really enjoyed having a disabled and a trans character in the book. The representation remains flawed but I generally really liked how they were portrayed and that for the most part Oshima’s right pronouns were used and respected continuously. Both of them were really likable characters.

Nakata’s ability to speak to cats is a personal highlight of mine

What annoyed me the most is the constant objectification and sexualization of the female characters. As well as the overall lack of agency these characters hold within the story. They’re pretty flat in my opinion and only exist in relation to the male characters. Some parts were pretty difficult to read through. I know Murakami can do better and this was just not it for me.

Content Warnings

More...