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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
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
ailie28's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not what I expected after my first murakami book and the themes were very dark. However despite this I enjoyed the writing style and was really curious about the characters and the experiences of each.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Rape
lio_ramon_dolor's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Violence, Death, Sexism, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: War
smalljules's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I have no idea how to rate this book, explain it, or even how to feel after finishing it.
Magical realism was a new genre for me but I think I enjoyed that aspect of it.
There were parts of this book that made me laugh, cry, scream “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK”, and parts that had me questioning my own sanity.
I think I really liked it.
I have no idea if I would recommend this book.
But I am so glad I read it.
Magical realism was a new genre for me but I think I enjoyed that aspect of it.
There were parts of this book that made me laugh, cry, scream “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK”, and parts that had me questioning my own sanity.
I think I really liked it.
I have no idea if I would recommend this book.
But I am so glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Rape and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Abandonment, Incest, and Murder
kathleendayle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Incest
vbarsi's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.5
This book reminded me of a mix of Moonrise Kingdom, meets Everything, Everywhere all at once, meets The Boy and the Heron
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Animal death, Death, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Blood, Pedophilia, and Incest
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
jmbautista's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence
lukests's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Animal death, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Pedophilia, Mental illness, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Transphobia and Ableism
britanicadramatica's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
In this book, we have two converging perspectives. Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old runaway; and Mr. Nakata, a man in his mid-sixties who is unable to read or write. Magical realism is a great way to describe this tale of two souls. I laughed and I gasped throughout this book. I strongly suggest looking at content warnings prior to picking this up, as some of the content took me extremely off guard. This book left me speechless and confused about my own feelings, but that's art, right? It's supposed to give you visceral reactions. It's sad, whimsical, gruesome, and harrowing at the same time.
I gave this book four stars because of the graphic content, it was unsettling at times.
This book reminds me of a much more sophisticated version of John Dies at the End. I say this because of the appearances of Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders, which seemed very silly. There were parts of this book that were so whimsical and spiritual, while other parts were so graphic and disturbing. Nakata's perspective is easily my favorite. I do wish it dove further into Nakata and Miss Saeki's timeline with the entrance stone and their experiences in the other world. I very strongly disliked the violent and predatory aspects of Kafka's perspective; as well as the animal cruelty in Nakata's timeline. Kafka's journey is essentially Oedipus Rex. Nakata and Hoshino go through huge character development.
This book reminds me of a much more sophisticated version of John Dies at the End. I say this because of the appearances of Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders, which seemed very silly. There were parts of this book that were so whimsical and spiritual, while other parts were so graphic and disturbing. Nakata's perspective is easily my favorite. I do wish it dove further into Nakata and Miss Saeki's timeline with the entrance stone and their experiences in the other world. I very strongly disliked the violent and predatory aspects of Kafka's perspective; as well as the animal cruelty in Nakata's timeline. Kafka's journey is essentially Oedipus Rex. Nakata and Hoshino go through huge character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Abandonment