A review by miak2
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
 
"This is pretty obvious, but until things happen, they haven't happened. And often things aren't what they seem." p.324


It took me two years to finish this book. Two crazy, college-filled, covid-impacted years, but I'm glad I finally did. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with this book. On one hand, it's absolutely beautifully written. Murakami is such a talented author, and this book felt so profound. Did I understand most of it? Heck no. But I finished it with the distinct feeling that I've read something life-changing.

I loved every second of Nakata's story. He was such a charming and loveable character, and his sections were infused with the type of magical realism that I so adore. On the other hand, I felt a little disconnected from Kafka's story. Parts of it were gripping, and others just made me scratch my head.

And here's where we get to my major gripes with this book. I understand that the oedipal curse was central to it, but I'm not sure I understand why. So, perhaps this is an issue of user-error, but these parts (and you know which ones) just felt pointlessly uncomfortable. Actually, in general, this book was uncomfortably sexual in places that it did not need to be, both in its descriptions of sexual acts and in its need to bring up 'banging some hot chick' every other chapter. For example, in a critical moment towards the end of the book, one character thinks:

"Once we finished here I'm going back to Nagoya, to my apartment, and call up some girl and get it on."


Why? Why include this? Little (often misogynistic) moments like this are just peppered casually into the prose, often sandwiched between really profound statements. I just- can't comprehend this.

Tl;dr This was a really special, magical book that's hindered by its weird and often unnecessarily references to sex. 
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