richardme123 's review for:

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

5.0

emotional mysterious reflective fast-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: N/A

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Kafka on the Shore is about moving on; it is a story unbound by logic that leaves many questions unanswered. In the words of Oshima, the whole world is a metaphor”. The story follows 2 main characters, Kafka and Nakata. Kafka is fighting to discover his sense of self, and Nakata is an old man whose life was changed by a childhood accident. Nakata, a man with half a shadow just like a Saeki, killed Johnnie Walker, but Kafka’s dad also died. Perhaps there is some spiritual link between Johnnie and Kafka’s dad, maybe the tyranny one toward cats and the other towards Kafka. Nakata was potentially an empty vessel through which Kafka killed his dad/Johnnie since he was covered in blood. The weird forest downhill inside the entrance was maybe some kind of afterlife or Purgatory, implying Saeki’s soul died at 15 rather than 20. Kafka, leaving this place, becomes a changed person. Maybe that’s what purgatory does to a man. Kafka fulfilled the prophecy and had sex with both his mother and sister. However, we can’t say that Sakura was, in fact, his sister, but perhaps Kafka thought he fulfilled the prophecy even in a dream (which tended to be quite real).  Finally, the boy named Crow was maybe a Karasu Tengu, a Japanese Legend referring to an inner crow which helps a child find their home. It was a very eye-opening read that left many questions unanswered in classic Murakami fashion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content