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A review by amrita_yadav
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
It is a five star read. But not like a I am giving it five star because there aren't any more stars to give or like oh my god this is so brilliant I don't think I am ever going to read something so great ever again kind of five star. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Never felt like giving up on the book at any point of time. This is the book that will get you out of your reading slump. In this ever so busy life that we are living we need to cherish these kind of books more and more that just let us read. Make me read, keep me hooked, make me have opinion, tell me about art and ancient thoughts, let me use my brain and form opinions. I swear for 70% of the book I really really wanted it to be a movie, like an actual animated movie like 'Your Name' and then the rest 30% I was like what in the world is this logic, like am I high, is the character high, was the writer high, are we all supposed to be high because "Reality is just a dream." For that 30% part of it I will say this, animate it, go for it, make a hentai. I don't care. I want to watch how this ridiculous-ness is supposed to be visualized.
Anyway you cut it I read an almost 500 page novel without giving up once when my engineering degree is threating to make me give up on reading. I bow to Murakami. You sir are my filler episode writer. I don't want to seriously think about what you just made the characters do in that book because my mind is not ready for it, I remain delusional by choice. For context, I have touched grass, I see the sun everyday (almost), I watch slice of life anime, K-drama and female centric series. So let's just throw the concept of female gender being a human being with thoughts and any kind of role other than being there to be either the 'love interest', 'sexual interest', 'home keeper', 'porcelain doll' or 'unable to not see the male interest naked' out of the window because what I just read is straight up some kind of Harem Anime logic (hence, animate it). I love the character of Nakata. He is very likable. You can enjoy all moments that he is in. I also love the parts with Oshima in it. I think most of the philosophical discussions and thought provoking insights came from him, and in his absence from Hoshino. I strongly think that Oshima is the character through whom Murakami speaks. He shares all this knowledge about other works that have relating concept to the concept of this book, also music, books, writer and works of art.
Don't even get me started on the conclusion of the book. Towards the last 25% of the book all I read is 'he knew', 'I just knew', 'he could feel it', 'you knew didn't you?', 'I will know when I go there', ' I don't know myself', 'I don't know', 'I am not supposed to explain it to myself either? Yeah yeah. Just don't try to put it into words'. Like what the actual hell. Explain it to me. Spoon food me. Connect the dots. Just throw in a savory explanation and I will try to make it work. You are not even trying to make any sense. Just because you callback things that you mentioned previously in the book, make the characters do psychotic things and throw in some complex quotes does not make it a masterpiece. Everyone is just giving meaningful looks and no one is making sense. 'Uhmm uhmm I understand. You are sleeping with somebody you think is your mom. Totally understandable. Hey dude who am I to judge? (Because not having figured out my sexuality takes away my right to point out incest.) Go for it.'
Right now, after writing all that, my greatest fear is that this book is actually teaching a very valuable lesson and is some kind of holy philosophical bible and I am too dumb to understand it. So, its a very chaotic five star is what I was trying to say.
Recommended to all.
Anyway you cut it I read an almost 500 page novel without giving up once when my engineering degree is threating to make me give up on reading. I bow to Murakami. You sir are my filler episode writer. I don't want to seriously think about what you just made the characters do in that book because my mind is not ready for it, I remain delusional by choice. For context, I have touched grass, I see the sun everyday (almost), I watch slice of life anime, K-drama and female centric series. So let's just throw the concept of female gender being a human being with thoughts and any kind of role other than being there to be either the 'love interest', 'sexual interest', 'home keeper', 'porcelain doll' or 'unable to not see the male interest naked' out of the window because what I just read is straight up some kind of Harem Anime logic (hence, animate it). I love the character of Nakata. He is very likable. You can enjoy all moments that he is in. I also love the parts with Oshima in it. I think most of the philosophical discussions and thought provoking insights came from him, and in his absence from Hoshino. I strongly think that Oshima is the character through whom Murakami speaks. He shares all this knowledge about other works that have relating concept to the concept of this book, also music, books, writer and works of art.
Don't even get me started on the conclusion of the book. Towards the last 25% of the book all I read is 'he knew', 'I just knew', 'he could feel it', 'you knew didn't you?', 'I will know when I go there', ' I don't know myself', 'I don't know', 'I am not supposed to explain it to myself either? Yeah yeah. Just don't try to put it into words'. Like what the actual hell. Explain it to me. Spoon food me. Connect the dots. Just throw in a savory explanation and I will try to make it work. You are not even trying to make any sense. Just because you callback things that you mentioned previously in the book, make the characters do psychotic things and throw in some complex quotes does not make it a masterpiece. Everyone is just giving meaningful looks and no one is making sense. 'Uhmm uhmm I understand. You are sleeping with somebody you think is your mom. Totally understandable. Hey dude who am I to judge? (Because not having figured out my sexuality takes away my right to point out incest.) Go for it.'
Right now, after writing all that, my greatest fear is that this book is actually teaching a very valuable lesson and is some kind of holy philosophical bible and I am too dumb to understand it. So, its a very chaotic five star is what I was trying to say.
Recommended to all.