A review by kristauhh
Kafka liedagā by Haruki Murakami

challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

what?
i'll start with the things i enjoyed.
the writing is beautiful, there are so many things in this book that i could be able to pull out and make into a meaningful quote. i also loved some of the characters, they're well thought out, especially hoshino. the musical, cultural and philosophical references are probably the best part. also great commentary on war.

now for what i disliked.
the whole thing was so vague (and i know what to expect from magical realism, my fav book of all time is japanese magical realism), nothing really made sense.
i mean, how is nakata connected to kafka? they never even meet. nakata simply killed his father, who he saw as johnny walker.

i understand that the mc is a 15 year old boy, but seriously, can he not talk about his dick for ONE chapter? not to mention the sexual relationship with a 50+ year old woman who he thinks is his mom. and raping the girl, who he hopes is his sister. 
oh, the graphic animal abuse wasn't great, it was pointless, we never see johnny walker ever again with his cat-soul flute.
the end wasn't good either! it feels like this book needs a sequel.

overall. i understand why it gets high ratings and why it's so loved. maybe it's the translation i read didn't do it justice, but that doesn't change the fact that it is incredibly confusing and disturbing.
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