Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami - Book Review

Kafka On The Shore revolves around two characters’ compelling journeys. The narrative alternates back and forth between each plotline with each chapter. The odd-numbered chapters tell the fifteen-year-old Kafka Tamura’s story.

Kafka runs away from home to escape the shadow of his father’s disturbing, oedipal prophecy and embarks upon an adventure-packed quest to find his long-lost mother and sister.

The even-numbered chapters, on the other hand, tell Satoru Nakata’s story. Nakata is a simplistic elderly man who never quite recovered from his childhood affliction. You see, as a child, Nakata lost consciousness for three weeks, only to awaken with most of his cognitive functions gone and his mind wiped clean.

Although he cannot fathom the abstract or complex concepts of life, Nakata can talk to cats and has utilized this ability by working as a finder of lost pets.

A brutal murder takes place, which sets both characters forth on an eventful journey where Kafka goes into hiding and Nakata goes on a quest to find an enigmatic stone that leads to an alternate reality. While the two characters never really meet, their plotlines are interrelated and their fates are somehow entwined.

Along the way, we meet a colorful cast of characters as well, including Miss Saeki, Hoshino, and Oshima. Aside from Nakata talking to cats, the book is filled with a bunch of other strange and outrageous occurrences -from fish falling from the sky to the spirit of Colonel Sander’s taking the form of a pimp!

As the book unravels, you’ll see that Murakami has an extraordinary ability to dance on the line between absurd fiction and bittersweet reality. Kafka On The Shore is a true testament to his exuberant and wild imagination where nothing is too ludicrous to be real and even the most preposterous events seem completely normal.

At first glance, Kafka On The Shore appears to be just another weird fantasy novel but as you delve deeper into the book, you start to realize that it’s actually an abstract, spiritual exploration of life and the choices we make in our lifetime. 

Between the simple and smooth writing style, that contrasts pretty sharply with the book’s complex themes, and the mind-blowing and incredibly unique plot lines, Kafka On The Shore is a smart, intense, and beautifully written book that will definitely resonate with you for years to come!

No review can do this book justice. You really have to read it for yourself to understand how absolutely wonderful it is, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that this book will have you turning pages faster and faster as you read on while simultaneously making you want to slow down to savor the beauty of Murakami’s words.