A review by fieval_loves_books
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

A great delve into magical realism.  Quirky, mysterious, sad and hopeful.  All of the hallmarks of a Murakami: sex, cats, history, weird weather, another dimension and a ton of allegory.  Certainly a fun read but don’t expect a resolute answer or explanation.  Quite a bit is left to readers interpretation. I will say there are some disturbing aspects of this book. The animal cruelty I found difficult and upsetting but I do believe that’s the point.  Much of the “disturbing” content is meant to hint at something spiritual and deeper and like a lot of literature the sex isn’t really sex. Although the book follows a teenage boy so it comes up a lot.  Many of the characters are loveable. I much preferred wind up bird chronicle but still a great read. 
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