Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami : BOOK REVIEW
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| Kafka on the shore |
Title: Kafka on the shore
Author: Haruki Murakami
Genre: magic realism, fantasy
Published on: 2002
Pages: 505
How about a flute made up of cats' souls?
Even if I try to give you spoilers, I won't be able to because there is a lot in Kafka on the shore.
As most of Haruki Murakami's books, Kafka on the Shore also demonstrates magic realism which means unusual things happen in the story.
This book explores on the metaphysical world.
BLURB
Kafka Tamura, a teenage boy runs away from his father's tyranny to avoid an Oedipal curse, his father had put on him. The curse was, he will kill his father and have relations with his mother and a sister. Kafka's mother and sister left him when he was four years old and he doesn't remember them.
Some how, Kafka's life converges with the life of an old man, Nakata. Nakata lost his mental ability to read and write due to an unusual incident that happened when he was young. Though Nakata can't read and write, he can do incredibly extraordinary things that normal people can't do.
MY READING EXPERIENCE
The first half of the book was so so good. It built up anticipation and curiosity; I couldn't stop myself reading it, until fish and leeches started raining from the sky.
After that it looked like everything was predestined and the characters knew exactly where to go and what to do.
All the characters are one way or another disconnected with the society.
I was confused where the plot was moving and the way it was moving. I didn't get so many things, even after I finished Kafka on the Shore.
WHAT I LIKED IN KAFKA ON THE SHORE
I loved the writing. Murakami's writing is why I read his books, even if I don't get anything. He takes you to the unusual, weird, out of an ordinary world and I find it fun.
The language is lucid and easy to read. It's just the story that's difficult to grasp.
The character development is applaudable. There are handfuls of characters and all of them are so real and different from each other having their own detailed background story.
Nakata and Mr. Hoshino made me laugh out loud with their conversations. They are definitely my favourite characters.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE IN KAFKA ON THE SHORE
I didn't like how the book built up anticipation in the beginning and didn't give anything later. That's not the way I wanted the story to go.
I was confused, and had to ask internet for interpretation and guess what I found?
RE READ THE BOOK!
I didn't understand many events and felt like some of them were not even necessary.
The book doesn't imply any conclusions. It's up to readers how we take it and how we understand it. In the context of ending, I found it similar to his another book 'Killing Commendatore'.
WHAT I LEARNT FROM KAFKA ON THE SHORE
Kafka on the Shore made me think about time, memories and our will to live. There is a difference in living and living without having a will to live. If we are not able to make new memories, then we are no different than a dead person.
RATING
⭐⭐⭐
I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars which means I liked the book and I recommend it.
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