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chamomiledaydreams's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
This book gets a lot of hype, with plenty of Murakami fans citing it as their favorite of his works. Honestly, though, it was just OK. There are many details that intrigued me and made the story worth reading, but even the bits I adored didn't feel fully fleshed out or satisfying.
Let's tackle Nakata's character, to start. I loved the flashbacks to WWII and the idea of someone who suffered an inexplicable period of unconsciousness in their formative years and woke up completely different. On the one hand, Nakata's an ableist stereotype: He's an asexual old man who cannot read or write and who clumsily refers to himself in the third person (at least, in the English translation).
Yet I found him quite endearing. He often apologizes for being dumb and asking questions, but that underscore his engagement with the world and his dedication to trying his best. Plus, he seems more intentional and profound than many of the other characters, wise and mystical beyond his alleged cognitive abilities. Talking to cats is a major point in his favor, as well, although I was disappointed that it did not remain an ability of his through to the end.
Now let's address Oshima, who is 80% of what I enjoyed in this novel. When those two women begin harassing him in the name of feminism, I flinched away from the page, perplexed by what Murakami was trying to say. His depictions of women never sit right with me, and I was worried that he was dismissing all efforts to attain gender equality. Of course, he wrote two of the worst feminists possible and made their demands outrageous. But why did he feel the need to include such a scene at all?
Then Oshima turns the tables on them by proving that he isn't a typical "patriarchal male," explaining that he was assigned female at birth and going into all sorts of uncomfortable personal information, including his favorite sexual positions and his unconventional puberty. In that moment, Oshima went from a cool librarian that I admired to an explicitly queer character whose presence surprised and pleased me. I appreciate that Murakami and his characters rarely misgender Oshima, and I'm glad that he was a major player in this story.
However, I wasn't a big fan of the protagonist Kafka or his love interest Miss Saeki. She was characterized a bit like Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations," except she was much kinder and wiser. Even though Kafka is the crux of this story, I never felt too invested in his personal problems. Yeah, sure, his dad is awful, and it sucks that his mom left when he was young. But I didn't enjoy how the main female characters (Sakura and Miss Saeki) were so fiercely drawn to him, especially because he seemed pretty bland to me. Not to mention the emphasis on Oedipal incest, which understandably made me very uncomfortable. I endured every one of Kafka's chapters in the hopes that Oshima would make an appearance at some point.
"Kafka on the Shore" also features the most viscerally disturbing scene in a Murakami novel that I've read to date. His stories are often sexually explicit and can become violent at times. Honestly, though, the way that he writes violence has never upset me. Those moments are dark, but they're never so immersive that I can't remain comfortably detached from them. Yet I seriously considered skipping the scene that involved cat mutilation, because it made me feel physically ill. At the time, my cat was sitting on my lap and purring, and I felt like I was betraying him somehow by reading such awful descriptions about feline evisceration. I read that chapter as fast as humanly possibly, hoping to get it over with while struggling to decipher its meaning to the rest of the story.
All this to say, there are plenty of details in this novel that I enjoyed. I liked the characters Nakata, Oshima, and even Hoshino. But the main plot of this story, and the constant emphasis on Kafka's teenage angst, never won me over. It's probably just the asexual in me, but how hard can it be not to sleep with your mother and sister? Kafka could stand to take a letter out of Nakata's book.
One final note: Is Nakata's asexuality ableist? I would say so. Nakata himself explains that he "used to be normal ... but something happened," resulting in an "emptiness" that negates any and all desires. He later mentions that, had he "been [his] normal self," he would have followed in his brothers' footsteps and "gotten married and had a family."
But even though Nakata's lack of sexual attraction has supernatural origins and is inexplicably tied to his disability, Murakami isn't consistent with the message that emptiness equals asexuality, as demonstrated when Hoshino reflects that he himself is empty, even more so than Nakata. Hoshino is referring to having a purpose in life and finding meaning in his existence. Nakata has this while Hoshino was not. Thus, we have a presumed allosexual character calling himself empty relative to a confirmed asexual character.
So yes, I do think that making Nakata asexual is rooted in ableism. But I don't think that Murakami villainizes Nakata because of this. In fact, Murakami appears willing to explore different ways of existing in the world, contrasting Nakata's asexual life with Hoshino's allosexual one and ultimately uplifting and celebrating Nakata for his wisdom and pleasant attitude. Nakata is a hero in this story, and while there are several moments that mourn for his lost allosexuality, his story is not diminished because of this. Besides, who's to say that he wouldn't have been asexual no matter what? Given the lack of common knowledge surrounding asexuality (both today and when this book was written), Murakami could have done a lot worse in his depictions of Nakata.
Let's tackle Nakata's character, to start. I loved the flashbacks to WWII and the idea of someone who suffered an inexplicable period of unconsciousness in their formative years and woke up completely different. On the one hand, Nakata's an ableist stereotype: He's an asexual old man who cannot read or write and who clumsily refers to himself in the third person (at least, in the English translation).
Yet I found him quite endearing. He often apologizes for being dumb and asking questions, but that underscore his engagement with the world and his dedication to trying his best. Plus, he seems more intentional and profound than many of the other characters, wise and mystical beyond his alleged cognitive abilities. Talking to cats is a major point in his favor, as well, although I was disappointed that it did not remain an ability of his through to the end.
Now let's address Oshima, who is 80% of what I enjoyed in this novel. When those two women begin harassing him in the name of feminism, I flinched away from the page, perplexed by what Murakami was trying to say. His depictions of women never sit right with me, and I was worried that he was dismissing all efforts to attain gender equality. Of course, he wrote two of the worst feminists possible and made their demands outrageous. But why did he feel the need to include such a scene at all?
Then Oshima turns the tables on them by proving that he isn't a typical "patriarchal male," explaining that he was assigned female at birth and going into all sorts of uncomfortable personal information, including his favorite sexual positions and his unconventional puberty. In that moment, Oshima went from a cool librarian that I admired to an explicitly queer character whose presence surprised and pleased me. I appreciate that Murakami and his characters rarely misgender Oshima, and I'm glad that he was a major player in this story.
However, I wasn't a big fan of the protagonist Kafka or his love interest Miss Saeki. She was characterized a bit like Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations," except she was much kinder and wiser. Even though Kafka is the crux of this story, I never felt too invested in his personal problems. Yeah, sure, his dad is awful, and it sucks that his mom left when he was young. But I didn't enjoy how the main female characters (Sakura and Miss Saeki) were so fiercely drawn to him, especially because he seemed pretty bland to me. Not to mention the emphasis on Oedipal incest, which understandably made me very uncomfortable. I endured every one of Kafka's chapters in the hopes that Oshima would make an appearance at some point.
"Kafka on the Shore" also features the most viscerally disturbing scene in a Murakami novel that I've read to date. His stories are often sexually explicit and can become violent at times. Honestly, though, the way that he writes violence has never upset me. Those moments are dark, but they're never so immersive that I can't remain comfortably detached from them. Yet I seriously considered skipping the scene that involved cat mutilation, because it made me feel physically ill. At the time, my cat was sitting on my lap and purring, and I felt like I was betraying him somehow by reading such awful descriptions about feline evisceration. I read that chapter as fast as humanly possibly, hoping to get it over with while struggling to decipher its meaning to the rest of the story.
All this to say, there are plenty of details in this novel that I enjoyed. I liked the characters Nakata, Oshima, and even Hoshino. But the main plot of this story, and the constant emphasis on Kafka's teenage angst, never won me over. It's probably just the asexual in me, but how hard can it be not to sleep with your mother and sister? Kafka could stand to take a letter out of Nakata's book.
One final note: Is Nakata's asexuality ableist? I would say so. Nakata himself explains that he "used to be normal ... but something happened," resulting in an "emptiness" that negates any and all desires. He later mentions that, had he "been [his] normal self," he would have followed in his brothers' footsteps and "gotten married and had a family."
But even though Nakata's lack of sexual attraction has supernatural origins and is inexplicably tied to his disability, Murakami isn't consistent with the message that emptiness equals asexuality, as demonstrated when Hoshino reflects that he himself is empty, even more so than Nakata. Hoshino is referring to having a purpose in life and finding meaning in his existence. Nakata has this while Hoshino was not. Thus, we have a presumed allosexual character calling himself empty relative to a confirmed asexual character.
So yes, I do think that making Nakata asexual is rooted in ableism. But I don't think that Murakami villainizes Nakata because of this. In fact, Murakami appears willing to explore different ways of existing in the world, contrasting Nakata's asexual life with Hoshino's allosexual one and ultimately uplifting and celebrating Nakata for his wisdom and pleasant attitude. Nakata is a hero in this story, and while there are several moments that mourn for his lost allosexuality, his story is not diminished because of this. Besides, who's to say that he wouldn't have been asexual no matter what? Given the lack of common knowledge surrounding asexuality (both today and when this book was written), Murakami could have done a lot worse in his depictions of Nakata.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Incest
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, and Acephobia/Arophobia
kazutooth's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, and Incest
headliner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.0
I love how Murakami let us embark the world through his works; one of it is Kafka on the Shore. The explanation written in detail drowns me as I read every sentence of it. Specifically when it comes to Kafka who wanders around the forest; it feels dreamy and fresh. Also when it shows how magical library is. On the other hand, there is Nakata - way older than the fifteen Kafka, who has the capability to talk with cats but not able to read.
The book is divided into two different perspectives; thru the odd numbers, we will meet Kafka who ran away from home; and the even numbers, we will meet Nakata who become the victim and witness how cruel the war is. Mind you there are also a lot of other characters around them and better keep it on mind because some of them would be beyond your imaginaton.
I found it interesting as I noticed the trivia stories of "Kafka on the Shore" and its relation to the plot. Well, you may enter a new world with full of questions after reading it. Just like me.
The book is divided into two different perspectives; thru the odd numbers, we will meet Kafka who ran away from home; and the even numbers, we will meet Nakata who become the victim and witness how cruel the war is. Mind you there are also a lot of other characters around them and better keep it on mind because some of them would be beyond your imaginaton.
I found it interesting as I noticed the trivia stories of "Kafka on the Shore" and its relation to the plot. Well, you may enter a new world with full of questions after reading it. Just like me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, Violence, and Rape
letter_planet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Kafka on the shore is one of murakamis most 'murakami-ish' novels. It combines his characters, grounded in realism with a fantastical, surreal edge that makes this coming of age story interesting and engaging to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Blood
unicornbanzaiiking's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is like reading the nightmare trainwreck that is Neon Genesis Evangelion. Oh wait, you liked that? Then this book is for you. Unless of course it isn't. You know what I mean? Unless you don't and that's ok, it doesn't have to make sense...and it doesn't really matter anyway. If you read this book or don't, it's all the same, because I read it so that means you read it. You know what I mean? It's a metaphor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Murder, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
steakumm_jakeumm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Incest
entommoore's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Rape
Minor: War
norliuwu's review
challenging
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Incest, and Death
Minor: Blood
ericispublius's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A lot of mysteries in this piece, unraveled slowly unto the end — we walked away with some unanswered. Murakami knits a world that rhymes with ours, but is eerily different. He taps into Japanese folklore in a way that is easy to pick up for the novice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Incest, Transphobia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Violence
corruptcat's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
such a strange yet beautiful book. some parts definitely threw me off a bit, but overall it’s an amazing read
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest and Rape