This is my first ever Murakami book. A co-worker suggested him to me so I picked up this book from the library. I can't remember what made me borrow this one out of the many others that my library carries of Murakami, but I'm sure glad that I picked this because I can tell, for a long time to come, this shall be one of my all time favorite books!
What I realized after reading this book is that Murakami understands the human mind very well; or at least he understands people like me. Throughout the whole book I felt part of the conversations between the characters. I felt as thought I was either one of the participants, or a bystander with a very good understanding of the people, in this case the characters, of a particular scenario that I happened to be reading. The backdrop for this book is contemporary Japan; but as I was reading, I felt that it could very well be the United States, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. I think it's safe to assume that Murakami can transcend time and place through his novels (or at least this novel because this is the only Murakami book I've read so far.)
The characters in this book, whether it's 15 year old Kafka, or 60 something Nakata, felt like people I had known for years. I was Kafka, and an old Grandpa who I know very well is Nakata. In truth though, I'm neither anything like Kafka, nor are our lives even remotely similar, and I have never known a person like Nakata. There are also some of these other characters: Oshima, Miss Saeki, and Hoshima. All of them felt like people I knew in real life. I wanted to talk to the siamese cat in Nakano Ward, I wanted to chat with Oshima, and learn how to surf with Oshima's brother. I wanted to sit in Miss Saeki's office while she wrote her memories. I wanted to live in the times of the war and today, at the same time. I wanted to pack a bag with just the essentials, and set out, and become lost to the world. I wanted to be in this book more than anything else in the world. And then the boy named Crow spoke:
What I realized after reading this book is that Murakami understands the human mind very well; or at least he understands people like me. Throughout the whole book I felt part of the conversations between the characters. I felt as thought I was either one of the participants, or a bystander with a very good understanding of the people, in this case the characters, of a particular scenario that I happened to be reading. The backdrop for this book is contemporary Japan; but as I was reading, I felt that it could very well be the United States, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. I think it's safe to assume that Murakami can transcend time and place through his novels (or at least this novel because this is the only Murakami book I've read so far.)
The characters in this book, whether it's 15 year old Kafka, or 60 something Nakata, felt like people I had known for years. I was Kafka, and an old Grandpa who I know very well is Nakata. In truth though, I'm neither anything like Kafka, nor are our lives even remotely similar, and I have never known a person like Nakata. There are also some of these other characters: Oshima, Miss Saeki, and Hoshima. All of them felt like people I knew in real life. I wanted to talk to the siamese cat in Nakano Ward, I wanted to chat with Oshima, and learn how to surf with Oshima's brother. I wanted to sit in Miss Saeki's office while she wrote her memories. I wanted to live in the times of the war and today, at the same time. I wanted to pack a bag with just the essentials, and set out, and become lost to the world. I wanted to be in this book more than anything else in the world. And then the boy named Crow spoke:
Closing your eyes isn't going to change anything. Nothing's going to disappear just because you can't see what's going on. In fact, things will even be worse the next time you open your eyes. That's the kind of world we live in. Keep your eyes wide open. Only a coward closes his eyes. Closing your eyes and plugging up your ears won't make time stand still.And I was kicked out of the book to face reality once again. But not quite I suppose. I couldn't put down this book. I read the whole thing, 400+ pages, in just about two days, and even after I had finished reading, I couldn't pull myself out of the story right away. It stayed with me, or rather, I stayed in it.
I do not know how to describe this book. It is not for everyone, I can say that much. You will most likely either love it or hate it. It is surreal and full of melancholy. It doesn't have plot twists. It doesn't have a start or an end. The whole story is just a small part of a bigger journey that spans beyond the pages of this book. There was a beginning somewhere, and there will be an end at some point in the future. But we do not know when or where. The events themselves are of little importance in this book; only what you relate to. Whether or not you will love or hate this book depends on how much you can relate, in my opinion. This book is weird, but witty and smart. You may or may not enjoy it, but I'd suggest at least giving it a try, especially if you are not familiar with Murakami's work. You can decide whether or not you like it afterwards. Who knows, may be you will just fall in love! Like I did.
5 out of 5.
Title: Kafka on the Shore (Buy on Amazon)
Author: Haruki Murakami (Translated by Philip Gabriel)
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group, January 26, 2005
Format: Hardcover, 436 pages
Genre: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Source: This book was borrowed from the University of Denver Library.